Dimensions
by cojack
Summary: C/7. AU where Chakotay and Seven are thrust into another plane of existence by the mysterious spontaneous creation of a single Omega molecule during the episode "The Omega Directive"
1. Teaser

DISCLAIMER: It's Paramount's galaxy.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: C/7. AU where Chakotay and Seven are thrust into another plane of existence by the mysterious spontaneous creation of a single Omega molecule during the episode "The Omega Directive"

I've decided to try something different for me and write the five AUs from "Possibilities" simultaneously. I'll post the first chapter "teaser" for each over the next few days and then go from there (expanded from what was in the original). Reviews are always welcome.

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DIMENSIONS

Stardate 51793.6

The work on the chamber was finished. Seven turned to face Commander Chakotay. "We don't need to destroy the molecules. I believe I've found a way to stabilize them. The alien in Sickbay calibrated his containment field using Omega's own resonance, an approach unknown to the Borg. I have modified this chamber."

"Those weren't your orders. The Captain wants Omega eliminated."

"That is still an option, if she insists on yielding to her fear."

Chakotay was unconvinced, but intrigued. Millions of Omega molecules were somehow contained on the moon's surface in the alien's chamber, might Seven had really found a safe way to use the same technology and stabilize them? "Show me what you've done."

Seven called up a file on the chamber's control screen. The spherical Omega molecules coalesced to form a larger and complex spherical structure. "This simulation shows the molecules in their free state, highly unstable. I've modified the chamber to emit a harmonic waveform that will dampen the molecules."

"Looks great, in theory, but this is only a simulation. How are you going to test it?"

"On Omega."

Chakotay frowned. "Bad idea. One mistake, and no one will be around for a second try."

"It will work," Seven responded. She seemed determined.

"Someday, maybe. Hang on to your research. For now, we stick to the plan. Stand by to transport the molecules into this chamber and neutralize them as ordered."

Seven paused and took a step closer to Chakotay. "I have been a member of this crew for nine months. In all of that time, I have never made a personal request. I am making one now. Allow me to proceed. Please."

This wasn't like Seven. She seemed both agitated and expectant. A crack in her haughty exterior, perhaps? "Why is this so important to you?" Chakotay finally asked.

"Particle zero one zero," Seven replied, almost with reverence. "The Borg designation for what you call Omega. Every Drone is aware of its existence. We were instructed to assimilate it at all costs. It is perfection. The molecules exist in a flawless state. Infinite parts functioning as one."

"Like the Borg," Chakotay observed, although to say there were infinite parts to Omega was a bit of a non sequitur. Poetic license, Chakotay mused. He could forgive her that, but perfection? Nothing in creation is perfect.

"Precisely. I am no longer Borg, but I still need to understand that perfection. Without it, my existence will never be complete. Commander, you are a spiritual man."

"That's right."

"If you had the chance to see your God, your Great Spirit, what would you do?"

"I'd pursue it, with all my heart," Chakotay replied honestly. The comparison, however, was flawed. Omega was a part of creation while God existed before creation. A simple molecule, no matter how complex and powerful with its apparent access to subspace energy, doesn't even come close to compare.

"Then you understand."

Not quite. Chakotay hesitated, for he could see Seven's determination. Her faith. "I think I do," he responded diplomatically. "I'll inform the captain of your discovery. For now, her orders stand."

"Thank you." Seven appeared satisfied.

Suddenly a faint blue light emitted from the chamber behind them and an alarm sounded from the chamber's console. Seven and Chakotay both turned with a start. "What's going on?" Chakotay asked.

Seven didn't answer at first but entered in several commands and examined the readouts carefully. "An Omega is assembling spontaneously in the chamber. I'm unable to stop the process."

"Cut the power," Chakotay said.

"I have," Seven responded. "It's drawing power directly from subspace." Her eyes widened as the Omega neared completion. Chakotay was also transfixed. The power of Omega was not multiplicative. Millions of molecules trapped in the alien containment on the moon below, or the single Omega now forming in the chamber. The potential was the same. The nascent Omega almost appeared alive, adjusting and flexing as if a sentient creature. Seven opened her mouth to say something else, but the words never came.

Chakotay, Seven, the chamber, the cargo bay, the entire space and subspace became immersed in the intense blue-white light, although the radiation extended far beyond the visible in both shorter and longer wavelengths. The light was blinding and didn't diminish after Chakotay closed and covered his eyes. The light pervaded all. A universe of white. Chakotay could see nothing, not even his hands and arms which he held out in front of him. He opened his mouth to speak, to shout, to scream, but could not utter a word. There was no sound he could perceive, only the white.

And then, for a moment, nothing. The light was gone. There wasn't darkness, or an absence of light. There was simply nothing. Emptiness.

When his senses returned, he was standing on a beach. It was either just before sunrise or just after sunset. A strange moon hovered on the horizon. He was not on the moon _Voyager_ orbited, nor on any planet he was familiar with. The experience of the nothingness still haunted his senses and his thoughts, but he didn't have time to dwell on these feelings. Before him silhouetted against the twilight sky two hooded figures stood. He glanced beside him and noticed Seven standing there. The two of them were in the same position as they were before the Omega chamber controls in _Voyager_ 's cargo bay. It was evident that she was also rattled by their recent experience.

One of the hooded figures took a step forward. He held a staff that could possibly be a weapon. His face remained in shadow. "And so," the man said in a voice both alien and familiar, "it begins."

The other alien now also stepped forward and spoke. A woman. Again Chakotay felt as if he had heard her voice before. "You are Chakotay," she said. Her brown cloak covered her completely, and even her hands weren't visible, buried deep within.

It was a statement rather than a question. Nevertheless, Chakotay felt compelled to respond. More to make sure he could still speak than anything else. "I am."

The man chuckled, but didn't share what had amused him.

"You are Annika," the woman said, turning to Seven. As with the man, Chakotay couldn't see her face because it was in shadow within the cloak, but the hood moved to face Seven.

Seven glanced briefly at Chakotay and turned back to stare at the woman. Her initial shock now over, she glared at the two aliens with a withering gaze. "I am Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One. Why have you abducted us and brought us here?"

This appeared to give the aliens pause. They turned to one another for a moment but didn't speak. Were they communicating telepathically? The man turned away from them all and waved the staff in his hand in an arch off to the side. The space there distorted and what looked like a hole folded away and onto itself. A hole in space-time. The edges of the gap shimmered and although Chakotay could still see the sea behind the opening, it was twisted and bent around onto itself. Chakotay couldn't quite make out what the two aliens were looking at inside due to his perspective. The man waved his staff again and the hole disappeared suddenly and the scene returned to what it was before.

"How is that possible? We misinterpreted the confluence and acted prematurely," the woman commented. She sounded annoyed.

"There are many parallel streams," the man replied. "Perhaps we should probe the continuum once again."

"We must return them at once and delete this construct."

"Tempus fugit," the man said thoughtfully. " _Voyager_ will be, is being, and already has been destroyed."

"Time is irrelevant," the woman countered. "How can they help our faction achieve the end results we desire?"

The man turned to face Chakotay and Seven. Seven stepped slightly closer to Chakotay, possibly preparing for some sort of attack. To Chakotay that seemed unlikely, and yet the man hesitated. His staff held in front of him now, apparently in mid motion, but he didn't move it further. He seemed to be weighing something in his mind.

"We will try again," the woman said.

The man, however, remained still and silent. "No," he finally said. "We will teach them. They will learn what is required."

In one swift motion, he turned towards the sea and waved his staff again, and then they were somewhere else.


	2. Lesson One

Chapter 2 – Lesson One

Chakotay quickly scanned the room, but the two aliens were no longer with them. He and Seven appeared to be in a ship's quarters, the curved wall to his right indicating their proximity next to the outer hull. Indeed, although a set of curtains were drawn, he could still make out the star streaks of a ship at warp through the gaps. The room was dimly lit, but it was clear it was the sleeping chambers set off from the main area of the quarters which opened up behind him.

"Are we back on _Voyager_?" Seven asked, scanning the room herself. She was standing by the side of the double-sized bed as if ready to get in.

"I don't recognize these quarters," Chakotay responded, and then turned to face Seven. She appeared to be in sleeping attire. He looked down at himself and he was similarly clothed. It was as if the two of them were just about to retire for the night.

Seven apparently realized the same thing but the repercussions didn't fully register. "What sort of uniforms are these?"

"They're not uniforms at all," Chakotay replied. "They're pajamas."

Seven and Chakotay locked eyes for a second. The implication was now clear. Seven pivoted to look down at a night stand beside the bed and something caught her eye. "Commander," she called lifting a frame off the stand. "Take a look at this."

Chakotay moved closer to examine the item in Seven's hand. It was a holoimage showing the two of them posing in front of a waterfall, arm in arm. Obviously he didn't recall the image ever being taken, but more startling was the fact that he vaguely recognized the location. If he was not mistaken, they were standing on the bridge in front of Ouzel falls in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. "I recognize this location," he said. "It's on Earth."

"Could they possibly have read our minds to fabricate all this?" Seven remarked. She studied the image more closely. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the hologram to her was how happy she looked. She didn't recall a time when she was ever smiling so broadly.

"Or time travel," Chakotay mused. "Is this the future? Or a possible future?"

Seven raised her eyebrow in response and placed the holoimage back on the night stand. Beside it was a tricorder, so she picked that up and initiated a scan.

"I imagine this must be your side of the bed," Chakotay remarked.

Seven looked at him sharply. "I see no humor in our situation Commander," she said. "Is this some sort of simulation? Or time travel as you suggest? Or perhaps a shared illusion projected into our minds. We have been abducted by aliens who have now inserted us into this environment for an unknown purpose."

"Not quite," Chakotay replied stepping back towards the main living area. "The one alien said they will teach us, and we will learn."

"Learn what?" Seven asked in return. "To help their faction achieve their results, according to the female. What does that mean?"

Chakotay motioned to the tricorder. "What are your scans showing?"

Seven studied them more closely. "It appears we are on a Federation ship, at warp. It is not _Voyager_. There are ninety-seven crew members aboard including ourselves representing twelve different alpha-quadrant species. I detect no evidence of chronotron radiation, tachyons, or anything else that would indicate a temporal event."

Chakotay looked again at both night stands but didn't see what he was looking for. Their comm badges must be somewhere else. If it truly was a Federation ship, the computer voice interface should be active even without the badge, although the computer would have to recognize his voice. It was worth a try anyway. "Computer," he then spoke aloud into the air. "What is the name of this vessel?"

" _The USS Sacagawea_."

"List the ship's senior officers."

" _Commanding Officer Captain Chakotay Hansen, First Officer Commander B'Elanna Torres, Science Officer Lieutenant Commander Annika Hansen, Chief Engineering Officer_ …"

"Cancel request," Chakotay interrupted. He and Seven exchanged a look of interest.

"So apparently we are married," Seven commented. "Computer, what is the current star date?"

" _Fifty-eight six twenty five point nine_."

"Six years eleven months from now," Seven remarked after a quick calculation.

"So we know we get back Earth," Chakotay said.

"In this representation of the future," Seven replied. "I'm still not convinced, however, this is not simply an illusion to ..." The tricorder started to beep, interrupting Seven. She looked down, but before she could read it, everything changed. The transition was unlike any transporter she was aware of, the change being instantaneous. She was now laying on her side and someone's arm rested on her shoulder. Given the previous setting, she guessed it must be Chakotay and he was laying behind her. Or at least, somehow she knew it was him. The two of them were on some sort of animal fur and under a covering of the same. Chakotay quickly sat up and she did as well.

It was night and more humid than usual. Indeed, they were no longer on a ship but rather in a cave. The flickering light from a fire at the entrance cast shadows on the ceiling and walls. Inside at the far end of the cave were vague metallic shapes, and night sounds of insects filtered in from the entrance. Their attire had changed as well. They were both now dressed in what appeared to be coarsely woven fabric, although the outfit felt quite comfortable.

Chakotay was about to say something, but then stopped to look at Seven's ocular implant more closely. "Seven, your ocular implant appears discolored."

Seven lifted her arm to examine the implant on her hand, but then squinted. "I cannot see out of my left eye," she said with unease.

"I know the light is funny, but the skin about your implant also looks different."

"I feel different," Seven said and started to stand. Chakotay quickly stood as well to help her. She wavered noticeably. Chakotay's eyes widened as he noticed Seven's abdomen. Seven unconsciously rested her hand on her extended belly and then looked up in alarm. "What is this?"

"I… I think you might be pregnant," Chakotay stammered. She appeared to be in her last trimester. Perhaps even the eighth or ninth month.

Seven glared at him. "How is this possible?"

Chakotay grinned and was not quite sure what to say. He had always assumed her Borg past would make it impossible for her to conceive and have children, but obviously that wasn't the case. At least in this simulation, or possible future, or whatever it was. He was about to state as such when a movement behind Seven caught his eye. Someone else was in the cave with them. The young girl was asleep and curled up near the cave's entrance. She had just stirred, but fortunately they had not woken her.

"Another one of our offspring, no doubt," Seven whispered irritated.

Chakotay stepped forward to take a closer look. "I don't think so," he finally whispered back. "She's at least sixteen or seventeen years old. And look at the shape of her head, and her … well, what looks like hair."

Seven moved forward and stood beside Chakotay. "Where are we?"

"And when are we?" Chakotay added.

Seven reached down and picked up something that was beside the girl. It was a tricorder. She glanced at Chakotay with a wry smile and then initiated a scan.

"Trust us to have one of those around," Chakotay laughed.

"This tricorder has an active chronometer," Seven observed, ignoring Chakotay's comment.

"What's the star date?"

"Fifty-eight six twenty five point nine."

"That's identical to before."

"An alternative future perhaps," Seven mused. "Wherever we are, the chronometer indicates we have been here for five hundred and ninety-three days." She looked about the cave. "I can't imagine we are here by choice."

"Perhaps marooned. Perhaps there are nearby caves with other _Voyager_ crew."

Seven was about to respond, but then reached down to hold her abdomen, a look of shock and concern on her face.

"What's the matter," Chakotay said and touched Seven's shoulder.

"I felt movement," Seven said tentatively. "I believe the child within me just kicked." Her eyes widened. "The baby is kicking again." She reached up and grabbed Chakotay's hand and placed it on the right spot. Her skin was soft and warm to the touch. They waited for several seconds. "It has stopped."

"My touch must have a calming effect," Chakotay remarked.

Seven frowned and moved his hand away. "I'm glad you still see humor in our situation."

Before he could respond, everything changed again. Again, the change was instantaneous and accompanied by a moment of disorientation. Chakotay was lying in a biobed. He turned and saw the Doctor tending to someone on the bed beside him. They were back on _Voyager_. He was about to speak when he noticed who it was on the other biobed. It was Seven. Not the Seven of recent memory, but the Seven of when they first encountered her. Most all of her Borg armor and implants were still in place and only the ocular extension had been removed. She was also conscious and turned to face Chakotay.

"Doctor, what's going on?" Chakotay asked.

The Doctor turned to face Chakotay. "Your status remains unchanged Commander."

"What status is that?"

The Doctor now looked at Chakotay curiously. He lifted a medical tricorder scanning device and moved it over Chakotay's head. "You don't remember?" he said with concern.

"Indulge me Doctor," Chakotay said with more than a note of irritation.

The Doctor frowned. "Nothing has changed. The mental link between you and the Borg drone remains active," he said.

"Between Seven and myself?"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Seven?"

"Clarify Doctor," Seven said, sitting up. The Doctor stepped back in alarm and then looked between the two of them.

"I've deactivated both links," the Doctor said. "I can't explain why your minds remain tethered."

"Did you remove the transceiver node at the base of my skull?" Seven asked.

"Of course," the Doctor replied, still a bit taken aback. "There must be a biological component in play, but so far, I can't isolate the cause."

"Why didn't this happen before?" Chakotay wondered and looked at Seven.

"What do you mean before?" the Doctor asked.

" _I don't know_ ," Seven responded. It took Chakotay a moment to realize it was with her thoughts and not by speaking aloud.

" _Apparently we're not only seeing possible futures_ …"

"… _but alternative pasts as well_."

" _Is this what we are supposed to learn? Of the many possibilities._ "

" _And the two of us are connected. In this alternative, quite literally_."

"Commander," the Doctor persisted. "Are you referring to your experience with the Borg cooperative we encountered three months ago?"

They turned to face the Doctor in unison, and then back to each other. Seven's expression, under the Borg surface, was one of curiously. " _Who is this Riley_?"

" _No one of concern_ …" Chakotay replied.

"Of course," Seven said sarcastically, and then glanced about. Everything had changed again. She and Chakotay were on a trail, the sunlight filtered through tall trees. What sky they could see was a deep blue, and the air had a slight chill to it. They both wore backpacks. "Now where are we?"

Ahead of them, or at least in the direction they were facing, the trail crested a saddle and appeared to fall into a valley on the other side. Behind them the trail switch-backed up the side of the hill they were now on. Chakotay reached for the side of Seven's face. "Seven, your implants."

Seven reached up too. Her ocular implant was gone. Only a small scar remained. The implants on her left hand were also missing. She looked at it in disbelief.

"Let's reach into your pack and use your tricorder," Chakotay said.

"How do you know there's a tricorder in my pack?"

Chakotay shrugged. "Just a guess."

Seven took off her pack and rested it on a boulder at the side of the trail. She unfastened the front pocket and reached in. Sure enough, there was a tricorder. She rolled her eyes and opened it for a scan. She passed it over twice to be certain of the results.

"All my Borg implants have been removed," Seven commented.

"Perhaps you were never assimilated in this reality," Chakotay mused.

Seven shook her head. "No. There's evidence of extensive surgical reconstruction. I didn't think it was possible, but someone has removed all of the Borg technology."

Chakotay looked overhead. "I don't recognize these trees from Earth," he commented. "The needles are too blue."

"I don't believe we're on Earth," Seven replied, now scanning their surroundings with the tricorder. "The magnetic field is different and the spectral type of this sunlight is slightly redder than Earth's sun."

Suddenly they heard something ahead of them on the trail. They looked up and a young girl appeared. Upon seeing Seven and Chakotay, she stopped and put her hands on her hips. "There you are," she scolded. She then noticed the tricorder in Seven's hands. "Mama! You promised to leave your work at home."

"I, ah…" Seven stammered.

"It's alright dear," Chakotay cut in. "We just stopped for a moment to catch our breath."

"Ha!" the girl responded with a grunt. "Robert is almost to the lake and Nenetl's just ahead and won't go a centimeter further until you guys catch up."

"We'll be there in a moment," Chakotay responded. At first it looked as if the girl wasn't going to budge unless they started walking. Her long black hair reminded Chakotay of his sister. Eventually, she shook her head and moved back up the trail and over the crest of the saddle.

"I suppose we now know the names of some of our children," Seven commented.

"Two of the three anyway."

"There could be more with Robert down by the lake," Seven suggested.

Chakotay looked at Seven for a moment. "Well. I'm glad to see you're finding the humor in this situation now."

Seven sighed and returned her attention to the tricorder. "This is curious," she eventually said. "I'm detecting an elevated subspace potential about us."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know," Seven said. "It's asynchronous with the rest of the matter in the vicinity."

"What does _that_ mean?"

Seven shook her head and continued to observe the readings. "It's starting to spike," she commented.

They were now someplace else. It took just a moment to figure out where. The Omega particle chamber stood behind them and they were both facing the control panel.

"Turn off the power," Chakotay suggested quickly, and just as quickly Seven cut all power to the station and the chamber. To be doubly sure, she stepped over to the chamber and disconnected the power cable.

"It seems we're back to the very moment before the Omega molecule formed," Chakotay said. He touched his comm badge. "Chakotay to the bridge."

" _Go ahead_ ," Lieutenant Paris replied.

"Tom, what's our status?"

" _Captain Janeway and Tuvok are still on the moon's surface. They're attempting to shut down the containment field so we can beam the Omega molecules into the chamber Seven is constructing_."

"What's the exact star date?"

" _Sir_?"

"The star date Tom."

There was a slight pause. " _Fifty-one seven ninety-three point six_."

"Just a moment Chakotay," Seven said and stepped back to the console and picked up her tricorder. The scan took just a few seconds, and she shook her head. "I still read an elevated subspace potential surrounding the two of us. We don't belong here either."

"Where do we belong?" Chakotay asked.

As if in answer to his question, Seven and Chakotay again found themselves on a remote, alien beach. It was the same as before with the same strange moon poised on the horizon and the glow of morning or evening twilight filling the air. For now, the two aliens were not with them. They were alone. As they looked about, there was an addition to their surroundings, at least Chakotay had not noticed it there before.

A small bungalow set on stilts was at the edge of where the beach met the forest beyond. Its door was open and inviting them to enter.


	3. Inside the Manifold

Chapter 3 – Inside the Manifold

"We're back," Seven commented.

"A little different than before," Chakotay replied and tilted his head towards the bungalow at the edge of the forest. "A new addition."

Seven took a step towards the structure and then looked down into her hand. She now held a tricorder and stared at it, a look of concern and confusion on her face.

"What's the matter?" Chakotay asked. Seven turned the tricorder over in her hand examining it and then showed Chakotay the device. "That's convenient," he added. "We never seem to be without one."

"I was thinking to myself that it would be nice to have a tricorder to make a scan of the structure before entering, and one appeared in my hand," Seven stated. She opened the device and held it out in front of her and then studied the readings. She turned in a circle and scanned the surrounding area.

"What do you see?"

"What I expect to see," she replied closing the tricorder. She held it for a second more, and then turned her hand over to drop it. The device disappeared before it reached the sand. She then turned and examined the area around them again, this time with her own eyes. "This is different than the other timelines we've visited."

Chakotay stepped closer and nodded. "I agree. There's something artificial. It doesn't feel as real."

Seven glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. "And the other scenarios felt more real?"

This elicited a shrug from Chakotay. "In feel and form... yes."

Seven nodded back. She had a similar impression. There was one thing, however, that troubled her somewhat. "In each instance, the situation seemed to emphasize a relationship between the two of us. To the point where we even produced offspring."

"Is that so hard to believe?" Chakotay countered.

Seven didn't answer and returned her attention to the bungalow. She gestured towards it. "Shall we?"

They walked the short distance to the open entrance and up three steps into the structure. Inside it was a single large room. At the far side of this room were two chairs facing what appeared to be a computer console and screen. The two of them glanced at each other and then both stepped forward and sat down into the chairs. Nothing happened.

"I half expected it to turn on," Chakotay said.

Seven was examining the controls and stood back up. "Let's switch places," she suggested.

Chakotay stood and moved to the other seat. When the two of them were both seated again, the console powered up. The screen displayed a branching pattern of lines. Parallel horizontal blue lines would split and diverge from left to right. Certain lines were highlighted, with occasionally lines merging or disappearing. Vertical green lines intersected these at various positions and other points on the display were identified with various symbols. Chakotay glanced down to the controls and wondered how they might be related to the display in front of them.

"I was recruited while aboard a Krenim timeship, and so am partial to this depiction." It was the voice of the male alien. The two aliens now stood behind them, their entrance or appearance had been sudden and silent. They stood side by side in cloaks that again hid their faces. This time, however, it was the female alien that held the staff.

"Is that why you've brought us here," Chakotay asked, pivoting in his seat to face the aliens. "To recruit us?"

The alien ignored Chakotay's question. "The timeship was about to be destroyed," he continued. "A collision with another vessel. The timeline in which I resided was about to end." He gestured to the screen. On it now a particular branch was highlighted. It was one in a locus of other lines that all ended abruptly.

"Where and when are we now?" Seven asked.

"You are in a construct formed in a higher dimensional manifold," the female alien answered. "You are outside all timelines. Separated from time."

"The Borg investigated the notion of multiple timelines," Seven replied. "In fact, the research resulted after several attempts at time travel by Borg vessels to adjust the timeline to their advantage."

"Ah, the Borg," the female alien responded with a note of irony and distaste. "There are many species who have tried to meddle with the timelines. Borg, Krenim, the Q, the Sphere Builders… Humans."

"And which are you?" Seven asked, but the female alien didn't respond. "From where were you recruited?" Seven tried again.

The female alien remained silent for a time. "A human vessel," she finally said. "A twenty-ninth century timeship."

"Are you human then?" Chakotay asked.

"Not entirely," the female alien replied.

"What of all these timelines. These possibilities." Chakotay said gesturing to the display. He turned back to Seven. "What were the conclusions of the Borg research?"

"In all cases, the Borg vessels sent did not return. It was concluded that they were either unsuccessful in changing the timeline or they were successful but the changes were not realized in the original universe. In the end, further time travel was suspended. The results of the Borg research before the program was terminated, however, concluded that the universe is actually a collection of universes, or a multiverse if you like."

Chakotay again looked back to the display.

"All these different timelines in a multiverse contained within a higher dimensional manifold," the male alien mused. "Many species think they have some measure of control, but they are just shuffling shadows. Even the Stewards, those self-appointed guardians of the integrity of the whole, believe they are in control."

"The Stewards?" Chakotay asked.

"The ones who originally recruited us," the male alien replied. "We were to become Stewards ourselves. Masters of the multiverse." The alien said this in a way that made it clear he didn't believe the Stewards were masters of anything.

"It didn't quite work out that way." Chakotay guessed.

The alien shook his head. "This manifold exists in higher dimensions than those of the timelines themselves. There are higher dimensions still. The Stewards failed, are failing, and will fail to realize it is the Guidance of the Highest Dimension that is in control."

"The Guidance of the Highest Dimension?" Chakotay repeated.

The alien paused and moved off to the side of the room. He then turned, his hand raised. "This Great Spirit of yours in your mythology, what is its nature and where do you suppose it resides?"

Chakotay leaned forward in his chair. "Are you suggesting in this highest dimension?"

The alien didn't respond, but turned his hand upward in an apparent gesture indicating that Chakotay had guessed correctly.

"Is there a need for a Great Spirit?" Seven countered. "Or this Guidance of the Highest Dimension?"

"Ah," the alien male replied, with humor in his voice. "A multiverse that exists in and of itself. No direction. No meaning. Convenient, if not self-serving. It relieves you of the intellectual burden of discerning the purpose, and reason, and truth of the multiverse. With no Guidance, there is no purpose. No reason. No truth."

"Science provides the truth," Seven stated.

"Science studies and analyzes the truth through observation and experiment," the female alien interjected. "It does not define the truth. Science uncovers the rules. It does not make them."

"Why is there a need for a Guidance of the Highest Dimension to make the rules?" Seven shot back. "Perhaps the rules simply exist."

"Every effect has a cause," the female alien replied. "You can write philosophical dissertations to try and muddle thought and concoct logical arguments to obscure reality, but the truth remains untouched. The truth is eternal and absolute irrespective of debate or quibbling. The Guidance of the Highest Dimension is the first cause. The primal cause. The cause that created the multiverse without needing to be created. You chase perfection in a molecule and yet don't see the evidence that is right in front of you."

The male alien moved over to the female and chuckled. "Sound familiar?" he said while placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Very much so," the female alien responded. "They show promise, but I'm not sure they are ready."

"Another lesson then."

"What do you have in mind?" the female alien asked.

"Adversity."

The female alien nodded and raised the staff, but the male motioned for her to tarry. Chakotay and Seven had observed the interchange without comment and now the two aliens faced them again. "You must suspect we sent you to those timelines for a purpose," the male alien said.

"For us to learn what is required," Chakotay replied. "At least that is what you said before you sent us."

"So what did you learn during your excursion into those different timelines of the multiverse?"

"The common denominator between the timelines we visited was the connection between Commander Chakotay and myself," Seven replied immediately.

The male alien nodded. "Exactly. There is a bond between the two of you. Perhaps you are only now becoming aware of it. These bonds transcend space and time. Together, you are greater than the sum of your individual selves. The tangible link, and the connection manifested from it, is a powerful force and can be utilized."

"Is that why we are here?" Chakotay asked. "You want to use us in some way?"

The male alien paused. "Yes," he finally said. "We are at war."

The female alien stepped forward, halting all further conversation. "A topic for a later discussion," she concluded, and waved the staff.

#

Author's note: I hope I'm not writing myself into a corner. I sort of have this crazy idea for the next chapter and vague notion of where this is going, but haven't worked out the details yet. The Stewards first appeared in my story "The Folly of the Stewards". As you can see, I'm trying to tie in other time travel threads from the Star Trek universe. We'll see how it goes. Also, the last chapter had vignettes into my stories "Legacy," "Recharting the Course," the post-Engame universe, and another possibility for a future story.


	4. Lesson Two

Chapter 4 – Lesson Two

"What happened?" Chakotay asked. He was leaning on Seven heavily as she helped him stand. He had sustained injuries and was not fully recovered.

"Our final effort to escape the ellipse has failed," Seven responded as she helped him back up onto the table. "We were almost to the perimeter, but not far enough for _Voyager_ to use a tractor beam."

"We're trapped?"

"Yes. The ellipse is back in subspace."

"Is Tom alright?"

Seven hesitated. "It appears _Voyager_ used the transporter when the tractor option failed, but for some reason, only transported Lieutenant Paris from the Flyer when we reached the apex of our trajectory." She scanned the rest of the room and noticed Lieutenant Kelly's remains were also gone. "I believe I have an explanation. They must have used our communicators to boost the signal. Unfortunately, neither of us were wearing our communicators at the time of transport."

Chakotay reached for where his communicator would be on his chest, but as Seven said, it wasn't there. Then he recalled it was removed when Tom treated some of his internal injuries. Yes of course, the plasma discharge during their first attempt to escape the ellipse. He glanced over to the counter where it had been placed. Sure enough, it was gone from there as well. Too bad they hadn't thought of that fallback possibility before their attempt to leave the ellipse. Chakotay's head was still spinning from when the inertial dampers had failed and he didn't feel well. He lowered himself down to the table until he was resting on his side. "What's our status?" he asked weakly as he closed his eyes.

Seven frowned. "Thrusters are functioning and currently stabilizing our profile, but likely the core is still offline and impulse engines inoperable. I imagine we're at minimal life support and wouldn't be surprised if hull integrity has been compromised." To emphasize the point, there was a sound outside the Flyer as a piece of debris impacted. Seven looked about the compartment. The creaks afterwards throughout the ship were not that encouraging. No doubt, they were surrounded by a great deal of debris and collisions would be unavoidable. In time, just as with Ares IV before them, the Flyer with the two of them inside would become part of the ellipse's debris field. "In short, Commander, your juvenile interest in paleontology and insistence on recovering the Ares IV module has condemned us to death within this anomaly." She couldn't quite hide the disgust in her voice, but regretted saying it out loud almost immediately. Anger would be of little use now. And also, there was something else she was having difficulty articulating. A thought and understanding that the two of them would have to work together to survive. Together, they were greater than the sum of their individual selves…

She glanced back down at Chakotay and he was looking back at her perplexed. It appeared as if he too was trying to recall something, but having difficulty doing so. "There's something wrong here," he finally said. "I have clear memories of events that have not yet taken place."

Seven looked about. "I am experiencing a similar sensation," Seven replied. "Were we not just with the aliens, in their virtual construct?"

"This is another lesson," Chakotay said nodding and moved to sit back up. Seven quickly moved over to help him once again. He wavered a bit. "I feel like hell."

"From the plasma discharge at your station," Seven commented.

"But the timing is wrong," Chakotay protested. He scrunched his face again. "I know we were just exploring the ellipse, and I can remember when we were working on the omega particle chamber. That was two years ago. And yet…"

"Two sets of memories," Seven said. "Both our own, from our own universe, and now our other selves from this universe." She gestured to their surroundings. "A universe where the two of us are trapped inside a graviton ellipse because you insisted on recovering the Ares IV module."

"Which memories are the correct ones?"

"Both," Seven responded. "Although I suppose the ones concerning the aliens in the virtual construct are more relevant."

Chakotay shrugged. "I feel compelled to apologize, although these events have not happened yet in that timeline." He sighed. "I wonder what the lesson is we are supposed to learn from this particular circumstance."

Now Seven scrunched up her face. "This is unlike our previous experience. Just before I became aware of the dueling memories, I recalled something one of the aliens said before sending us here. He said 'Together, you are greater than the sum of your individual selves.'"

"'The tangible link,'" Chakotay continued.

Seven nodded. "'And the connection manifested from it, is a powerful force and can be utilized,'" she finished. "It coincided with a thought that I had that we would have to work together to survive inside the ellipse."

"And we are going to survive," Chakotay stated. "Or rather, we will survive." He shook his head. "I can imagine the use of tense when dealing with nonlinear time can be quite cumbersome. Perhaps that is why in our first lesson we didn't have the memories from our other selves to deal with. The disorientation it entails."

"In the instances of our first lesson, we were simply to understand a connection existed between the two of us. For this lesson, perhaps the disorientation is what we need to experience. The male alien also said this lesson would involve adversity," Seven added. "Perhaps we are to deal with and experience both."

"Both of what Number One?"

The Starfleet Lieutenant brushed the sleeve of her uniform, her long blue fingernails flashing in the light. "Both the region's oligarch and the planet's Supreme Pontentate," she replied. "Rigel Seven's ruling structure is quite complicated."

Captain Christopher Pike nodded. This away mission to the planet's surface seemed routine enough despite the past disagreements between the Rigelians and the Federation. Rigel Sevel was a curious place. A warp capable species that held onto their customs and culture from centuries before. Cities of stone with castles and fortresses. Officers armed with blades and clubs. Even the Klingons consented somewhat to advances in technology, never too proud to use a blaster instead of a bat'leth. But not the Rigelians. Pike's gaze lingered on his First Officer. Something was troubling her. "Mister Spock, go through the itinerary one more time," he said absently.

His half-Vulcan, half-human science officer bristled. He was obviously none too pleased to have to repeat himself and was letting his emotions slip out. Growing up on Vulcan had been difficult for him, and now on a ship filled with humans, he was growing lax. "Standard protocols sir," Spock answered. "You will beam down to the planet's surface to the provided coordinates accompanied by myself and Yeoman Sanders. He turned slightly and added, "And a small security detail armed with phasers as Number One insisted." He returned his attention to Pike. "From there, the Regional Oligarch, Barooth, will escort us to his fortress where we will enter negotiations with the Supreme Pontentate. Starfleet Command and the Federation Council have given us latitude in negotiating the boundary dispute and mining rights in the asteroid field claimed by both parties. I will have the full text of their parameters downloaded to my tricorder in case we have to consult them during the negotiations. It will be expected…"

Pike waved his hand, interrupting Spock's recitation. He was again looking at his First Officer. She seemed distracted. First in her class at the Academy. Runner up for the Daystrom Prize with her work in applied quantum chromodynamics. She was the lowest ranking First Officer in the fleet, still only a lieutenant, and he was lucky to have her. She was his best officer and the two of them made quite a team. Together, they were greater than the sum of their individual selves… Yes, that was it. "Number One, what's on your mind?"

Number One looked up startled. "What do you mean sir?"

"You seem distracted. Are you happy with the added security in the away team?"

Number One nodded. She had insisted on it, as Spock had just said.

"What is it then?" Pike persisted. He felt certain there was something more.

Number One glanced about to the other officers at the table, her long raven-black hair swishing from side to side. In addition to Mister Spock and Captain Pike, the Enterprise's Chief Medical Officer, Phillip Boyce, and helmsman, Lieutenant Jose Tyler were in attendance. They all looked at her expectantly. "Just a feeling," she finally said. For someone who prided herself in regimented scientific thought, she seemed embarrassed by the admission. She would have kept quiet if it hadn't been for Pike's prodding.

"I would trust your feeling, Number One, over most everyone else's facts," Pike encouraged. "Let's have it."

Number One shrugged slightly. It was hard to put into words. "I'm uneasy, sir. I can't put my finger on it. I've ordered every scan of the area and even surrounding space about _Enterprise_ and everything checks out. The Rigelians have been most accommodating, but…"

"But you don't trust them," Pike finished.

She was hesitant to confirm. "Perhaps."

Pike nodded and stood. He had reached a decision. "We need more information. Spock, have sensors conduct more scans of the surface, particularly about the fortress. Contact the Oligarch and tell him we have been delayed. Reschedule our meeting for tomorrow. See if we can't have it here on _Enterprise_ instead."

Spock appeared stunned. "Sir, you are basing your decision on a… feeling?" His Vulcan half was undoubtedly rebelling at the illogic.

Pike turned again to his First Officer who was now standing beside him, ready to follow him to the bridge. Whether Number One, or Seven, he would defer to her feeling any day. "As a matter of fact..."

"Captain?"

Captain Jean-Luc Picard shook his head and regarded his superior officer. "As a matter of fact, they are," he finished. "I spoke with your aide, Commander Wrightwell, and he said that you were particularly fond of them."

Fleet Admiral Alynna Necheyev smiled, the tension of her arrival just moments before effectively defused as Picard had hoped. The watercress sandwiches and Bularian canapes serving their intended purpose. "That was very thoughtful, Captain. Thank you," she replied in a softer tone.

Picard gestured to the two chairs about the table in his ready room. "Please," he said, and the two of them sat down. Picard started to pour the Earl Grey tea he had also prepared. "You were saying about the Cardassians?"

"Yes. The Federation has just completed a very long and drawn-out series of negotiations regarding the final status of our border with the Cardassians. These will be the official boundaries." She handed Picard a PADD.

"I see," he responded diplomatically. Picard studied the PADD while taking a sip of tea and was not at all happy with what he saw.

"You'll notice a demilitarized zone has also been created along the border. Neither side will be permitted to place military outposts, conduct fleet exercises, or station warships anywhere in the demilitarized area."

"This border places several Federation colonies in Cardassian territory and some Cardassian colonies in ours."

Necheyev picked up her cup of tea. "This agreement is far from perfect. Neither side got everything they wanted, but every side got something. And as someone once said, diplomacy is the art of the possible. Those colonies finding themselves on the wrong side of the border will have to be moved."

Picard placed the PADD down on the table. "Well, the colonists are not going to be happy about that. Some of them have been there for decades."

"It won't be easy, but it's a reasonable price to pay for peace. Your mission will be to evacuate the colony on Dorvan Five."

"Dorvan Five?" Picard responded. He was vaguely familiar with this colony. "Isn't that where the group of North American Indians settled?"

Alynna knew this was coming. It's why she had decided to deliver the orders in person and not over the comm. She placed the tea cup down gently. "Yes. They've been there for about twenty years. They've established a village in a small valley on the southern continent."

Picard lowered his eyes.

"Is something wrong?" Necheyev inquired.

Jean-Luc shook his head. "Admiral, centuries ago these North American Indians were forcibly displaced from their ancestral lands. These settlers on Dorvan Five originally left Earth more than two hundred years ago in order to preserve their cultural identities." His voice was becoming louder and more disturbed.

"I am aware of that, Captain."

"You see, Admiral, there are some very disturbing historical parallels here. Once more, they're being asked to leave their homes because of a political decision that has been taken by a distant government."

Alynna had anticipated his objections and was ready with an answer. "An Indian representative was included in the deliberations of the Federation Council. His objections were noted, discussed, but ultimately rejected." She leaned in closer. "Captain, the Indians on Dorvan are a nomadic group that have settled there only twenty years ago, and at that time they were warned that the planet was hotly disputed by the Cardassians. The bottom line is they never should have gone there in the first place."

Perhaps they sent the wrong Indian, Picard thought absently. The strange thought that he should have been the one to go to the Federation Council crossed his mind. He shook the thought away. "Granted, but to go to them now after twenty years later and ask them to leave what is now their home."

Alynna leaned back in her chair again. She had had the same thought. In fact, truth be told, she believed that despite their poor working relationship over the years, she and Jean-Luc were actually quite similar. Similar values and similar goals. "I made that same argument with the Federation Council," she replied. "But it took three years to negotiate this treaty. Some concessions had to be made, and this is one of them."

"What if these Indians refuse to be evacuated?"

"Then your orders will be to remove them by whatever means are necessary."

This took Jean-Luc by surprise. Any means necessary? That could get messy.

"I understand your moral objections, Captain," Alynna added. "If you wish, I can find someone else to command the _Enterprise_ for this mission."

"That will not be necessary, Admiral," Jean-Luc replied coldly. The memory of another incident with the Cardassians and relinquishing command of the _Enterprise_ for a time crossed his mind. In this case, Admiral Necheyev was giving him a way out. Although she didn't appear to be happy with the orders either, she was willing to follow them and so was he. He appreciated her coming in person to discuss it with him. If only there was another way. They both stood and faced each other. The meeting apparently over.

"I don't envy you this task," Alynna began but then hesitated. She and Jean-Luc had known each other for years. He was an upperclassman when she had entered the Academy all those many years ago. While she sought the admiralty, he had chosen to remain in command of a starship. Between the two of them, they had a wealth of experience and knowledge. Together, they were greater than the sum of their individual selves… Surely they could think of something. "Do you think there is something we may have overlooked?" she asked tentatively.

Jean-Luc picked back up the PADD she had given him earlier. "Our orders from the Council appear quite clear," he said in disgust. "And I'm certain the treaty itself is a bureaucratic nightmare, as most dealings with the Cardassian Union are."

Alynna glanced back down at the table and picked up her cup handing it back to Jean-Luc. She had made a decision. The orders from the Federation Council had not detailed a specific date they needed to be implemented. The implication had been immediate, but there was enough ambiguity to allow some interpretation. Perhaps there was still time to find an alternative. And who better to find that way than Jean-Luc and herself. "Pour me another cup of that tea Jean-Luc," she said. "We have some work to do if we're going to save your homeworld."

"My homeworld?"

Alynna shook her head as if acknowledging the mistake, but then narrowed her eyes. There was something else she was having difficulty articulating. "Commander Chakotay," she said absently, as if remembering the name from a dream.

"Seven?"

That was it. Alynna nodded.

"Oh bloody hell!"

"Captain?"

Jonathan Archer of the Imperial Warship _Defiant_ pulled away from the computer screen. Captain. He liked the sound of that, but it wouldn't be of any use if they stayed dead in space. "We need warp drive," he barked at his officers, but particularly his scar-faced Chief Engineer.

Commander Tucker shook his head. "Engineering's been stripped to the bulkheads. But the good news is, most of what they took was still sitting in my hangar deck. But I need time to figure out how to put it all back together."

"How much time?" Commander T'Pol asked attempting to defuse the situation. Archer was volatile and she had no desire to have the current argument escalate further. One step at a time.

"Two or three days," Tucker replied in almost a whisper. Archer moved up to him with venom in his eyes. "Sir, I'm not even sure what some of these systems are supposed to do. It's like I'm Chief Engineer on a steamship coming aboard the first interplanetary transport."

Archer was not in a good mood, but tempered his response. "If we don't have warp capability in twelve hours, I'm going to find a new Chief Engineer."

"I suggest we make use of the alien workers. They may know something about these systems," T'Pol suggested.

Archer nodded and paced back to the center of the room. T'Pol was Vulcan, but a competent officer. He appreciated her level-headedness. His other officers were also there in what must have been the _Defiant_ 's briefing room. Doctor Phlox, Major Reed, Ensign Sato, and his personal MACO security guard Corporal Mayweather. "Keep them under close surveillance," he said, speaking to the group. "Once warp drive is restored, we'll set a course to rendezvous with the assault fleet."

"We're in no condition for battle," T'Pol protested.

"We made quick work of the Tholians," Major Malcolm Reed remarked with a smirk. His lip twitched. He would like nothing more than to use the _Defiant_ 's weapons again.

T'Pol kept her calm. "This ship is designed to be operated by a crew of four hundred. There are only forty seven of us. The logical course of action is to take _Defiant_ to Earth, allow Starfleet to study it, reverse-engineer its systems."

Archer shook his head. "There's no time! The Empire could lose this war in a matter weeks if we don't get the _Defiant_ and its weapons to the front lines." He glared at his officers. "Dismissed!" The senior staff moved to the exit, but Archer grabbed T'Pol's arm. "Commander. Not you." He pushed her down to sit in one of the chairs. Mayweather stayed behind at the door and Archer moved over and took the corporal's weapon. He stepped over purposefully and then placed the tip of the weapon under T'Pol's chin. "I should shoot you for betraying me," he sneered.

"The orders giving you command of _Enterprise_ were obviously fabricated. It was my duty as a Starfleet officer to help Captain Forrest regain control of his ship." Despite being Vulcan, she appeared nervous.

"You swore your loyalty to me," Archer shot back. He started to pace the room again. What was he going to do with her? He needed her expertise, but could she be trusted? A voice in his head told him that of course she could trusted.

"You should be aware Captain Forrest ordered me to kill you," T'Pol remarked.

Archer moved back and lifted her out of the chair. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Forrest is dead. His orders are no longer valid," T'Pol replied quickly. "You are my commanding officer."

"I never had a problem with your people until they became a part of this rebellion. If I had another officer capable of doing your job, I'd show you to the nearest airlock. I need you…" Archer hesitated. He did need her. Together, they were greater than the sum of their individual selves… Together… He turned quickly to the door. "Corporal, you're dismissed."

"Sir?" Mayweather questioned.

Archer looked thoughtfully at the phase rifle still in his hand and then tossed it to the MACO. "Dismissed!" he said more forcefully. Mayweather snapped to attention and then left the room quickly. Now only Archer and T'Pol remained.

"We need to work together," Archer said more calmly. "The Empire is corrupt and failing, and we need to work together to restore it."

T'Pol looked at him curiously. "And what of Vulcan?"

"What of it?"

"Many of my people are part of this rebellion," T'Pol responded. "Would you use this ship to destroy Vulcan cities in retribution?" When the words were out of her mouth, she realized with an odd sense of certainty that he wouldn't. Of course he could be trusted.

"The rebellion is a symptom of the Empire's decay," Archer replied. "We need to correct the underlying illness."

T'Pol nodded. "Together," she said, and then looked down as if remembering something. After a moment she looked back up and raised an eyebrow. "Have we come to this revelation ourselves, or is it this Seven and Chakotay in our minds that have lead us to this conclusion? It is a curious sensation being Vulcan."

Archer was thoughtful. Now that she mentioned it... "I think we just awakened what was already inside us," he mused. He looked about. The Jonathan Archer half of him marveled that this Seven and Chakotay were from the mirror universe and from the future even beyond that of the _Defiant_.

"You say your people built all this. Who are you? What planet are you from?"

The caretaker hesitated. "My impression is that your race is not yet ready to understand us, Captain."

Mister Spock glanced briefly at the cabaret girl on his arm and gave a nearly undetectable smirk. "I tend to agree," he said evenly.

Just then, the Captain's communicator beeped. He flipped it open. "Kirk here."

It was Lieutenant Uhura on _Enterprise_. " _This is the bridge, Captain. Our power systems have just come back in. Do you require assistance_?"

"No, everything is in order, Lieutenant," Kirk replied and looked up. The Caretaker had raised a finger to get Kirk's attention. "Stand by."

" _Aye, aye, sir_."

"However," the Caretaker said. "If you would use the proper caution, this amusement planet of ours could be an ideal place for your people to enjoy themselves, if you wish."

Kirk shook his head in wonder. Having met an old flame, Ruth, and an old nemesis, Finnegan, over the past several hours, he would tend to agree. His black eye and torn shirt were a testament to the… fun he had already had beating the tar out of Finnegan, but caution would be prudent.

Doctor McCoy and Yeoman Barrows were standing arm in arm with the good doctor smiling widely. "It's what the doctor ordered, Jim."

Kirk smiled back and returned his attention to the communicator. "Lieutenant."

" _Sir_?"

"Commence transporting shore leave parties. Tell them to prepare for the best shore leave they've ever had." Kirk was about to end the transmission when he suddenly had the urge to invite Uhura down with the first shore leave parties. The week before, she had been instrumental in helping Ensign Martine as she grieved the loss of her husband, Lieutenant Tomlinson. The two of them had just been married. In fact, the whole crew grieved his loss during their encounter with the Romulans. Kirk had commented to Uhura at the time how thankful he was for all she had done for Ensign Martine and the crew, and promised her shore leave at the earliest opportunity. And now here they were…

Mister Spock pealed off the cabaret girl who had been on his arm and handed her over to Mister Sulu. "Captain, I'll go back aboard ship and take over. With all due respect to the young lady, I've already had as much shore leave as I care for."

Kirk was brought out of his thoughts. There was something else he needed to attend to. A revelation of sorts. "Very well Mister Spock. I think I'll stay down here for the time being. Make sure the crew settles in here on the planet."

Spock raised an eyebrow. "Of course, Captain."

Kirk returned his attention back again to the communicator. "Lieutenant, are you still there?"

" _Yes sir_."

"I promised you shore leave last week at the earliest opportunity. Please beam down with the first group. That's an order," he added playfully.

" _Thank you Captain_."

There was something else. Something that had been perhaps nagging him for quite some time and now seemed to demand his attention. If he was going to be on shore leave too. "And, um. Be sure to wear a good pair of hiking boots," Kirk added tentatively. "There are some mountain near here that I think might make for a fun excursion."

There was a hesitation on the other end. Was he being too obvious? She was also a friend, after all, and it wasn't unheard of for friends to do activities together on shore leave. The two of them had an excellent working relationship. He relied on her expertise in communications, but she was just as competent at the science station or helm where she had taken over on numerous occasions. And together, they were greater than the sum of their individual selves… Where did that last thought come from?

" _I'll be right down_ ," Uhura finally responded and Kirk breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'll be right here." Chakotay and Seven were back in the virtual construct. The two aliens in the exact same position as before, as if no time had passed.

"Welcome back," the female alien stated.

Chakotay looked about frustrated, becoming reoriented. "What was that all about?"

"What have you learned?" the male alien asked.

"Learned? You've said there is a war, and you want to use us, presumably as soldiers in that war."

The alien nodded. "In a sense," he replied. "Many are called to a life-long union, a permanency of the tangible link, as the two of you have. For others, there are different vocations. Our choices determine our path. But what have you learned?"

"Commander Chakotay and I function as a team better than we do as individuals," Seven offered.

This was apparently the answer he was looking for. "Good," the alien encouraged. "But you weren't always Chakotay and Seven of Nine. What of your most recent lesson?"

Seven and Chakotay exchanged a quick look. "All similar to us," Chakotay replied. "Perhaps again, two individuals who function better as a team than apart." He shook his head. "I recognized most of them. Historical figures, like Jonathan Archer and T'Pol. Those two being and working together is well known, and yet the circumstance we were in. The Empire of the mirror universe's past? Is that what happened to the _Defiant_ when it disappeared?"

"There is a complicated interaction between a universe and its mirror," the female alien offered.

"When we occupied the bodies of the others, even those of our other selves, we had the memories of those people whereas before we didn't," Seven observed.

"It was different," the female alien confirmed, but offered nothing further.

"Even still," Seven persisted. "There was also a difference when we occupied the bodies of our other selves in the timeline where we were trapped inside the graviton ellipse and when we occupied another person's body in the other timelines."

"It was different," the female alien said again. Seven was about to protest, but the alien elaborated. "There are different currents and eddies in the flow of universes within the dimensions. In the first lesson, you were in parallel transmuted streams. They exist for a short time and your complete consciousness substitutes for that of the hosts. In this latest lesson, you were closer to the main stream. The integration is more rapid and complete with your other selves. In the other instances, the tangible links between the chosen couples were strong across a majority of universes. Given enough time, the same would be true and your memories would integrate while together, but when the time comes, you will have little and the link might not be as evident. You will have to act quickly and rely more on your own link with your partner."

"You are going to send us back for another lesson?" Chakotay quipped.

The female shook her head. "I was referring to when you become soldiers in the war."

"The war," Chakotay repeated.

"The War of the Stewards," the female clarified. "The war without beginning or end."

"You mentioned these Stewards before," Chakotay said. "That you were recruited by them."

"Guardians of the timelines," the male alien replied. "Manipulating the universes, ever so slightly, to bring about a final unification. A third of them were not satisfied with the pace of the results and broke away. They seek to hasten the end by bringing about the termination of universes. Their intentions are misguided and evil and we are here to stop them."

"You are two of the remaining Stewards?"

"We are no longer Stewards, but some in our army are. In our.. division of this army, we are linked couples like yourselves. Soldiers, for a time or all time. Those called by the Guidance of the Highest Dimension." He turned to face Chakotay directly. "I know your heart. You have often sought guidance from your Great Spirit, Chakotay. This is what you've been looking for. It won't always be easy, but it has been, is and will always be worthwhile." He gestured to Seven and added, "she is your companion for the ages."

"As he is yours," the female alien added, speaking to Seven.

Chakotay narrowed his eyes. How could they possibly know? "Who are you?" he asked.

The two aliens faced each other and then turned to face Seven and Chakotay. They lifted their hands up and pulled off the hoods that had been shrouding their faces from the beginning. Seven and Chakotay's eyes widened in surprise. The Borg implants. The tattoo.

"We are two of your other selves," the female replied. She touched a small box that was on her neck and it disappeared. "We are you, from another timeline." Her voice was now identical to Seven's. The other Chakotay smiled and removed his own box which must have been disguising his voice as well.

"You have no need for more practice," the other Chakotay said. "There is one final lesson before it begins." Neither the other Chakotay nor other Seven held their staff, however, the instrument which seemed to enable control of the timelines. This time they simply stepped back and waited.

"What now?"

The two of them were at the base of a small hill. They were in each other's arms, holding the other for comfort and preparing for their journey. In their thoughts, they could still hear the crying and moaning near them and all around from days before, and indeed their insides felt hollow as if they themselves couldn't cry any more than they already had. They looked back up to the top of the hill.

It was true. It was done.

What now?

#

Author's note: Okay, so that was my crazy idea… using our favorite Star Trek couple (C/7 – here shown in AU of "The Graviton Ellipse") to jump around and highlight my other favorite Star Trek couples (P/1 = Captain Christopher Pike and Number One from the original Star Trek pilot shown here prior to the Rigel Seven incident just before "The Cage" and A/TP = Captain Jonathan Archer and Subcommander T'Pol from Star Trek Enterprise shown here in the episode "In A Mirror Darkly – Part 2"). Hope you didn't mind. I added one more (Captain James T. Kirk and Lieutenant Nyota Uhura from the original series here in the episode "Shore Leave") after coming across the K/U stories by LadyEnterprise1701 in her "I Am Not Afraid" series. I highly recommend them if you are interested. I decided to add another with the female as the commanding officer (Admiral Alynna Necheyev and Captain Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation here shown in the episode "Journey's End").

The Cheshire Cheese's guess that the two "aliens" are indeed Seven and Chakotay from different timelines (Seven from a "Relativity" AU and Chakotay from a "Year of Hell" AU) was correct, although I hadn't thought about elaborating on their backstories, but I think I will in the next chapter.

Finally, sorry it took so long to post this chapter. Not sure it's ready, but perhaps posting it now will prompt me to start writing the next chapter. I finally do have an ending in mind, and I have an idea of how I'm going to get there. I'm afraid the next chapter might take some time to think through and write correctly, however, for what I have in mind. Stay with me, and please leave a review if you are so inclined.


	5. The Final Lesson

Chapter 5 – The Final Lesson

Cleopas and Tabitha were heartbroken as they made their way onto the wide path that led back to their village. They had arrived in Jerusalem the week before, full of excitement and expectation, following him here and counting themselves as one of his disciples. But just two days ago, they had watched helpless as he was tried and executed by the Romans. They spent the Passover Sabbath numb, huddled together with a few of his other disciples. Unsure of the future and unsure of what to do. How could this have happened? What were they to do now?

Their village was about seven miles from Jerusalem and they had started out later than planned. It was already past mid-day and the olive trees hung heavy and still by the side of the path. The spring sun was high and hot overhead and the air dusty and dry. They were getting older, and would take their time, expecting to arrive in Emmaus by evening. There appeared to be no one else on the road with them. The land itself still seemed to be in a state of shock.

"I had thought he was the one who was going to redeem Israel," Tabitha said downcast.

Cleopas shook his head. "All the miracles. All the signs." He sighed heavily and leaned into his staff as he walked. "I spoke with Lazarus himself," he added lifting his hand and rubbing his eyes. They still ached.

"I know," Tabitha replied. She placed a bit of her graying hair back into the tie behind her head. The two walked in silence for a time. There was so much chatter amongst the disciples as they left, so much happening, but the two of them felt compelled to leave Jerusalem and return home. To at least check on their animals and relations. "What about what Mary and the others told us?" she finally said, some conversations from the morning returning to her.

"How can we believe?"

"We should have gone to the tomb ourselves. Seen with our own eyes."

Cleopas shook his head again. "It is not safe in Jerusalem," he murmured. "It is not safe." They had thought about going to the tomb, but had decided to strike out for home instead. At the time, they had both been adamant about leaving Jerusalem.

Presently, another traveler came up from behind and started walking beside them. His pace was only slightly faster than their own. He was a stranger and they did not recognize him. They would have let him pass in peace, in no mood to talk themselves, but the stranger matched his pace with theirs and engaged them. "What are you discussing together as you walk along?" the stranger asked.

They stopped along the path and stood still, their faces downcast. Cleopas finally responded, "Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?"

"What things?" the stranger asked innocently.

"About Jesus of Nazareth," Tabitha replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people."

"The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him," Cleopas added. He looked up and the stranger appeared attentive and listening carefully. "But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel."

"And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place," Tabitha continued. She felt compelled now to speak with this stranger, to share with him in their pain and thoughts. "In addition, some of the others amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus."

The stranger smiled, a warm and comfortable expression was on his face. "How foolish you are," he said, "and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" The stranger motioned for them to continue down the path, and so they all started walking again together. "The Klingon's Sto-vo-kor, the Ferengi's Divine Treasury, the Talaxian's Great Forest, and a million different permutations on the theme of eternal life after physical death. The proposition of a soul, or living spirit, or katra, call it what you will, that exists in a higher dimension outside of this space and time. Tell me Chakotay, have you considered that your Great Spirit and the Guidance of the Highest Dimension might be one and the same?

Cleopas turned, somewhat confused, but then nodded. "This is another lesson," he said slowly. "I see now, you are a Steward. Or perhaps a soldier in the war."

"Ah. The war without beginning or end," the stranger said. "Is that what you wish to learn about, or do you desire I open your eyes to the meaning of the Scriptures? Do you wish to understand what is written in the Scriptures beginning with Moses and the Prophets or do you wish to understand your place in the cosmos?"

"Both," Cleopas replied eagerly.

"In time," the stranger said with a smile. "But as for now, it is the war that is most urgent for you. For the part of you who are Chakotay and Annika."

"We have been asked to be soldiers in this war," Tabitha replied. "The two of us. We are linked together, somehow. A whole greater than the sum of its parts."

"It is such for most species," the stranger confirmed. "A male and female, both in the image and likeness of their Creator. For some, a vocation written into the very nature of their complimentary existence. A tangible link and unbreakable union." The stranger was thoughtful for a moment. "It is by intent and design, but such a union is not the way for all. There are many paths in the way but all lead to the same destination."

"But it is so sudden and hard to believe," Tabitha mused. "I barely know Chakotay. I barely know what it is to be human."

"Oh Annika," the stranger laughed. "Is it so hard to believe? Tabitha has been joined to Cleopas for thirty years. Are the feelings much different? You have but a brief stretch in time and space of physical existence. I realize your counterparts mistakenly pulled you into their construct before the two of you had recognized your link, but now that you are aware of it, what does your heart tell you?"

Tabitha was thoughtful but stayed quiet.

"There are thousands of sentient species in your Galaxy each with a billion or more individuals," the stranger reflected. "And in a single universe, billions of such galaxies, each with their own variation of beings. And beyond that quintillions of alternative timelines for each. All of that weaves together into a vast and complex cosmos." The stranger then raised a finger, "But, all of those individual sentient beings are creations and contingent on a previous creation. An unbroken chain back to the beginning. All ultimately in the image and likeness of the first cause, their Creator."

"Every creation?"

"Everything is a creation and is contingent on a previous creation. Except the first cause."

"What of the Continuum?" Cleopas asked.

The stranger chuckled. "The Q," he stated with a mixture of humor and sadness. "One of the first sentient species to evolve in many universes, and yet the path they chose, are choosing, and will choose is a dead end." He turned back to Cleopas. "You know quite well the misery the Q now exist in, in your space and time. Your friend Kathryn described it to you in detail when she visited the manifestation of their Continuum."

Cleopas nodded. The memory of the time suddenly vivid, almost as if he had been there himself.

"The lure of power and ultimately an illusion of omnipotence," the stranger continued. "The more they made themselves gods in their mind, the emptier they became until now they are but a shell awaiting the end of their existence with no meaning or purpose. Their end will be final and will come with the end of each timeline where they are present. It didn't have to be that way, of course. Many species that evolved, are evolving, or will evolve to a non-corporeal state retain the way. The Organians and Metrons in your Galaxy and timeline, for instance."

The wind kicked up just then a created a dust devil on the road in front of them. It crossed the road and moved off into a vineyard though which they were now passing. The walls of Jerusalem, although still visible, were now far behind.

"I'm curious about our hosts in the virtual construct," Tabitha said after a time. "My counterpart says she was recruited from a human vessel. A twenty-ninth century timeship?"

The stranger nodded. "Another example of desired control over the timelines," he stated. "An attempt to correct a perceived deviation, where in truth, the interactions become a more tangled mess. In that case, the crew of a 29th century timeship will attempt to stop a 24th century crime by a 29th century human who will be stranded in the 20th century because he blames those from the 24th century. A relatively small scale temporal incursion that ultimately involved the entanglement of thirty-eight different timelines for each manifestation. Minor, perhaps, but quite the knot indeed."

"And my counterpart?" Tabitha prodded further.

"As you might imagine, on the 24th century vessel," the stranger continued. "In a timeline where her physical existence will be terminated. There were several such instances, and she was the second to be recruited by the Captain of the timeship in that particular manifestation."

"If the 24th century vessel is _Voyager_ , then the 29th century human must be Captain Braxton," Cleopas said.

Again the stranger nodded. "You were indeed in a timeline that experienced a portion of these events. The latter half of this affair has not yet happened in your timeline, but you are correct."

Tabitha shook her head. "If we now know of this," she protested, "Won't that affect the outcome? A temporal paradox?"

The stranger waved his hand dismissively. "There are no such things. Within a particular universe, the laws of physics must be obeyed. The illusion of a temporal paradox is simply the interaction between universes and the similar constituents within. It is all part of a greater and more complicated whole, and even in those, all the laws of physics still must be obeyed."

"But we still know what is going to happen," Tabitha persisted. "It will undoubtedly affect our behavior."

The stranger shrugged. "As is appropriate, you will remember none of the details, of course."

"I don't understand."

"You will eventually."

They continued down the path in silence for a time. The sun now lower and the air comfortable. They were getting closer to their village, the miles having slipped by. The stranger's words were compelling, and both Cleopas and Tabitha yearned for more.

"And what of my counterpart?" Cleopas finally asked.

"The Krenim," the stranger replied. "Another mess of timelines. In those instances, involving millions with all prematurely ended for each manifestation." The stranger shook his head and then glanced over at Cleopas. "Indeed, it was your counterpart who successfully terminated one of the Krenim threats across the multiverse."

"I have no memory of this," Cleopas said.

"And so you shouldn't. All timelines interacting with the Krenim in each manifestation are closed onto itself and terminated."

"Millions of them?" Tabitha asked incredulous.

"Yes, but just one of a million other timeline interactions across the span of space and time." The stranger turned back to face Cleopas. "Your counterpart was ultimately recruited by the Stewards before the termination of his physical existence with the termination of the timeline, but almost immediately joined my army. All of them did."

"The Army of the Guidance of the Highest Dimension?"

"By one of its names," the stranger confirmed.

"If all timelines must eventually end, why do we combat what ultimately must come to pass?" Tabitha inquired.

The stranger nodded. "You already know the answer, but you ask this so that I may confirm your thoughts. Physical mortality is the natural way of things. A beginning, a middle, and an end. A universe and timeline are physical creations, and for each there is a beginning in a so-called Big Bang, a middle, and an ultimate end with the ending of time. But just as it is repugnant to terminate a sentient creation outside of its natural course, the same is true for a timeline. That is why you fight this war. It is a means for you to participate, with free will, in the redemption and salvation of the cosmos."

"What is expected of us in the war?" Cleopas asked, finally getting back to the original question.

"All that can ever be asked of anyone," the stranger responded cryptically.

"What does that mean?" Tabitha asked.

The stranger smiled. "You will combat the enemy using the truth. In your moment in space and time in the great story of the cosmos, the enemy is using the Omega Particle to enable their desired change. Providing a gateway into and between other dimensions to inflict their harm. You will be placed at key events to encourage a different outcome."

"How will we know what to do?"

"Have you not learned anything from your previous lessons?"

"It's by working together," Tabitha replied.

"Of course," the stranger confirmed. "It is your vocation, if you choose. You will know."

They now approached the village to which they were going, and the stranger continued on as if he were going farther. Cleopas and Tabitha turned to each other. Their home was close by, and in their hearts, they wished to talk with the stranger some more. "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening," Cleopas urged. "The day is almost over."

The stranger nodded and followed them the short distance to their home. When they arrived, they all went in.

They took off their cloaks and sandals, and Tabitha and Cleopas quickly prepared a modest meal. When the stranger was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Cleopas and Tabitha's eyes were opened and they recognized him, and immediately he disappeared from their sight as if being transported away.

"Could it be…?" Cleopas began. Not a Steward after all. The Guidance of the Highest Dimension?

"Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" Tabitha mused. Two conversations with the stranger played out in her head. Simultaneous and spoken to her two halves. To Tabitha of Emmaus and Annika of Tendara.

"What must we do?" Cleopas finally asked.

"I know what is expected of us," Tabitha replied. "It will be written that 'They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together.'"

Cleopas gathered back up his cloak despite the late hour and Tabitha followed suit. Before, they had wished to escape from Jerusalem, for fear of persecution. Jerusalem was not safe for them. But now, let them go as to war. For they were part of a greater army.

At each time and place, by free will, all are given a choice. To participate in their moment in space and time in the great story of the cosmos or not.

Chakotay and Seven made their choice.

They stood before a great multitude, both now wearing a robe with Seven holding a staff. Before them a kaleidoscope of color, each a particle of the display and a different window into a different universe, with edges like blazing fire. A moment in space and time for each. The army stood around them, shoulder to shoulder and ready to engage in an epic battle in this war without beginning or end.

"You are ready."

#

Author's Note: Okay, not sure again if this is exactly ready, but here it is anyway. This is fanfiction, and it doesn't have to be perfect. Hopefully, it's entertaining and gets you thinking. Reviews would be wonderful and most welcome. As I ponder the "epic battle" to come, I think now it's this _next_ chapter that might take some time to get coherent…


	6. The Battle of the Hinterlands

Chapter 6 – The Battle of the Hinterlands

The first jump commenced with a wave of the staff and then through the blazing fire of an aperture. After that, their direction between universes was determined by other means, other dimensions. Not quite in control of the shifts, but conscious of them in linear time. At first the battle went smoothly for Seven and Chakotay. They both could immediately identify with the other, realized the situation, and were able to divert the attention of their hosts in directions that would not lead to Omega. A variety of situations. A variety of lives. Measured in seconds, or minutes, or hours. Humans in the beginning, some instances far removed from the critical time and Omega, but then humanoids of many species and closer to the enemy. An eclectic sampling of known and unfamiliar inhabitants of the Galaxy. Tarkanian, Betelgeusian, Enolian, Akritirian, Nygean, Andorian…

"Our procedure using the sub minimal diffraction divergence could be used to synthesize any molecule," the lead scientist said. She stood before her creation and nodded satisfied. Years of hard work and persistence had finally paid off. Her antenna twitched at a thought. "Even the theoretical…"

"There's no need to go that far in proving the utility of your procedure," her assistant interrupted. He had been with her for many years, having declined a commission in the Imperial Guard right after his advanced studies. Truth be told, he was more interested in her than in the research. Perhaps one day, but for now, she appreciated his attention to detail and insights. She was focused on her work.

The lead scientist hesitated. "I suppose not," she finally said. Knowledge of the molecule was highly classified anyway, and there was no profit in complicating her dealings with the government, or with the Federation for that matter. How did her assistant know of it anyway, but then again, she had ceased being surprised by his genius long ago. Best to downplay the possibility of using her invention in that manner and direct the research to other things. "What would you suggest then?"

The assistant shrugged. "Using it to recrystallize the matrix of fractured dilithium crystals is what we talked about months ago. That's going to make us plenty of latinum within the Federation and beyond."

The lead scientist smiled. Of course that was what they were going to do, their initial tests the prior week had been promising. And then another thought entered her head unbidden. She looked at her assistant with new eyes. Oh, the celebration she had planned, and why not with him? The lodge on the ice fields she planned to rent when it was successful, that was something to look forward to…

And then they were gone. Many encounters where Omega was present, while others had little to do with the molecule, but for a chance insertion by the enemy at that point in the timeline. Quick action was required, and instinct was essential. Working together without words. Knowing what the other would do without thought. Sometimes it was a nearly identical situation in closely spaced universes, timelines in the same stream of time, playing out over and over. Deep water or in the hinterlands. It did not always progress as desired, and in some instances the universe was lost. Their successes, however, far outweighed their failures. Soon they also encountered species they were unfamiliar with at first. It was more difficult to integrate and trickier to accomplish their intent, but in each instance, eventually the battle was waged and mostly won. And in each instance, it became easier. Vulkarian, Zubenian, The Roth, Nas'Qatur…

V'nix unfurled his wings and stretched. It had been a long day, and soon his wife would be along from the institute and they would start their flight home. The fountains in the mountains to the north had been active earlier in the day and the atmosphere was saturated with a fine mist. Not enough to restrict visibility, but just enough to refract the light into colorful mistbows. They would have a spectacular display as they flew to the east and their home in the castle pines of the Great Forest.

D'nar glided in noiselessly and then with a ruffle of feathers, pulled up and landed next to her husband. "Did you miss me?" she chirped.

"Of course I did," V'nix replied and they touched beaks affectionately. "How were your students today?"

D'nar sighed. "As difficult as ever," she replied with a frown. "Fledglings nowadays are becoming more and more apathetic."

V'nix shook his head and ruffled his feathers. "Our education system has deteriorated. Our schools are little more than indoctrination centers for…"

D'nar interrupted her husband by quickly taking flight and hovering above him. She clucked twice and smiled.

V'nix bowed his head and chuckled. "I'm sorry eyass," he said sheepishly. "Enough of that. Let's fly home." He alighted beside his wife and then the two of them beat their wings to gain altitude. The tall white buildings of the Center fell behind them and soon enough they were high above the glacial valley that stretched to the boundary of the forest. The three suns of the Nas'Qatur system cast multiple rainbows ahead of them.

"How glorious!" D'nar cooed from above. "I've never seen it so lovely."

V'nix looked about bobbing his head as he continued to flap his wings lightly. A comfortable pace for their return home. They were lucky their work was close enough such that they didn't need a craft to make their commute. And then something on the ground caught his eye. A blue flash of light, perhaps a reflection of the sky off a small patch of water. But something inside him spoke otherwise. There was something wrong. He banked to the left and circled back, and instinctively D'nar followed. She directed her gaze as well to the ground to where V'nix was looking, and again there was a flash and then a faint glow as if from a diode.

"What do you suppose it is?" D'nar asked.

"I think we need to go and find out," V'nix replied. D'nar nodded in agreement, and the two of them pulled in their wings slightly and swept them back for greater speed. D'nar was slightly ahead, and so it became a race, but she had always been faster and reached the ground first, both of them laughing. But as they settled, their mood became more serious. They had landed amongst large boulders, left at this spot by the receding glaciers centuries before. The glow was emanating from a small artificial device beside one of the boulders. Strange for it to be out here in the waste. It flickered as if a candle guttering, but with a soft blue glow and not a flame.

"Careful," D'Nar whispered as V'Nix started to approach the device. She followed beside him. When they were but two lengths from it, someone stepped out from behind a nearby boulder and then hopped back in surprise, unfolding his wings to their full extent. He was nearly twice their size and D'Nar and V'Nix did not recognize him.

The other then stepped forward quickly to stand between them and the device. "What do you want," he squawked.

"We saw the light from above," V'Nix replied. "We came to investigate."

The other looked down at the device and then up into the sky. He stretched one of his wings to block the light. "It's none of your business."

V'Nix was not fond of confrontations, and his wife even less so, but something kept him rooting in that spot. D'Nar moved slowly to the left, as if preparing for a fight. Amazingly, to V'Nix's surprise, she felt similarly. Although not really surprised after all. "You need to step away from the device," she tutted.

The other's eyes narrowed. "This is science. This is the future. You would destroy what you don't understand!" he cackled. "I know who you are!" His voice was low and strange, as if coming from someplace else.

That was it. The device needed to be destroyed. How V'Nix knew that for certain was not clear, but time was of the essence. He flapped once and then extended his talons towards the other. Just as quickly, the other hopped and locked his talons while simultaneously directing his closed beak towards V'Nix's neck. It would have been a devastating blow if D'Nar had not deflected it, having jumped at the same time as her husband.

The other's eyes blazed when he realized, although bigger, he would be no match for the two Nas'Qatur working in concert. He slashed at V'Nix's abdomen wildly, removing some feathers and drawing blood. But the wound was superficial. V'Nix grabbed the other's talons while D'Nar dug hers into the other's back. The other staggered, giving D'Nar a chance to drop down and access the device.

There were many buttons and indicators on the surface, but for some reason D'Nar knew which adjustments to make. The blue glow began to falter, but not for long. Suddenly the flickering increased in amplitude.

"You fool!" the other shouted, but didn't approach.

It was no matter. D'Nar started adjusting the settings again. Containment and disassociation were possible. She had seen it before? Unfortunately, whatever was in the device was no longer effected by the adjustments. They hadn't been soon enough. She lifted the device and threw it against a nearby bolder in a last ditch effort. It split open in a flash of white. Too late, but she would work faster the next time…

And so it continued. After hundreds, or perhaps thousands of engagements, they came to their first truly alien creatures. Denizens of the skies of a Jovian planet who communicated telepathically.

They occupied a relatively narrow layer in the atmosphere rich in their prey animals, the zeppelins. These beasts could be hundreds of meters across and processed the hydrogen rich atmosphere into heavier elements to not only grow but to supply the energy needed to keep them buoyant and alive. The Soovee fed on the zeppelins, herding them outside the storms to safe pastures. Allowing them respite in the sunshine so they could process and convert their fuel. Keeping them between the freezing upper atmosphere and the crushing depths below. The zeppelins and the Soovee formed a symbiotic relationship around the planet, although only the Soovee were sentient. Phoolee and his mate Aoochee drifted side by side in the light breeze near their shoal's herd.

 _Lightly, slowly, carefully, thickly_ , Phoolee said.

 _Incessantly, keenly, often, everywhere_ , Aoochee replied. One of her tentacles stretched and caressed Phoolee's mantle. She was pregnant with their first stars and her mate had been overly protective of her lately. When the time came, they would rest themselves atop one of the zeppelins. Staying there for many cycles while their offspring nursed and learned to float on their own, or at least jet to one of them for anchor.

 _Bravely, always, delightfully, more_ , he responded.

They floated southward. The storms at this latitude were again moving around and they needed to get the herd safely out of the way before the next rising of the close moon. And as Phoolee glanced towards the heavens, he chanced upon sensing a vessel from one of the moons. They lived in peace with the creatures that traveled in these vessels, communicating with them occasionally. So different. They were dense and small and would collect some of the hydrogen in the pastures for their own purposes. But this day, something felt wrong.

 _Searchingly, thoughtfully, oddly_ , Phoolee said. He was agitated and a display of color cascaded down his mantle.

Aoochee adjusted her position so she could sense the vessel better. It was well clear of the zeppelins, respecting their wishes from past discussions and treaties. She felt, however, something was wrong as well. _Worriedly, now, carefully, next._

 _Decisively_ , Phoolee agreed, but moved his tentacles to block Aoochee from going as well.

Flashes of color played over her mantle and Phoolee withdrew his tentacles. _Always, fervently, now, quickly_.

And the two of them jetted out side by side towards the vessel. It would hurt, but they knew they could drag it down quite easily to the crushing depth. Much easier with the two of them working together. The creatures inside would be able to escape. Phoolee and Aoochee had no intention of harming them. In fact, they would bring over a zeppelin to keep them in place to ensure help arrived in time. The creatures had contingencies for such things and had told the shoal about them during the negotiations. No, their only worry was what to tell the others in the shoal about what they had done. Why they had done it. An imperative from deep within their minds and soul. To save the universe…

And so it continued. For days, for years, or was it for only an instant? And then, the last fight in the battle. Something different than all of the conflicts they had had before.

"Then you understand," Seven said. She stood before a control station in _Voyager_ 's cargo bay. Behind her was a chamber she had designed and built.

Not quite, Chakotay thought. He hesitated, for he could see Seven's determination. Her faith. "I think I do," he finally responded diplomatically. "I'll inform the captain of your discovery. For now, her orders stand."

"Thank you." Seven appeared satisfied.

Suddenly a faint blue light emitted from the chamber behind them and an alarm sounded from the chamber's console. Seven and Chakotay both turned with a start. "What's going on?" Chakotay asked.

Seven didn't answer at first but entered in several commands and examined the readouts carefully. "An Omega is assembling spontaneously in the chamber. I'm unable to stop the process."

Chakotay was about to order her to cut the power, but instead he moved over to an adjacent panel. "Increasing confinement and initiating transport from the planet's surface."

"To stabilize the forming Omega?"

"Precisely."

"That is inadvisable without the pattern enhancers in place, and we should move the ship closer to the planet's surface," Seven replied.

"There is no time!" Chakotay shouted.

Seven nodded. She understood. She wasn't sure how, but she adjusted the transporter confinement beam to a sub minimal diffraction divergence. The procedure just came to her, and she executed it. The Omega particles from the surface were beamed directly into the chamber at a much greater cadence than they originally thought possible. The other molecules dampened the Omega that had been forming.

A channel from the surface opened. " _Commander, what the hell are you doing_!?" Janeway snapped.

"Stand by Captain," Chakotay replied and then turned to Seven. "Seven, we must…"

"I know," Seven interrupted. Her thoughts of stabilizing the molecules permanently from just moments before evaporated away. In its place was an imperative to destroy them. To destroy them all before the universe itself was destroyed by them. Using the resonance frequency, she executing the commands she had devised earlier and the molecules began to disassociate. The blue glow in the chamber guttered. She tweaked on some parameters and the process accelerated. "Twenty percent… thirty percent…"

" _Chakotay, what's happening up there? The Omega molecules are gone from confinement_!"

"There in the chamber here on _Voyager_ Captain," Chakotay replied. "Seven and I initiated the process to destroy them."

" _I can see that_ ," Janeway shot back. " _But why now_? _You've endangered Voyager_!"

Chakotay hesitated. What seemed so clear just a few moments before in his mind was now difficult to wrap his head around. All he knew was that the Omega molecules needed to be neutralized at this time and space. The enemy… but then that thought was gone. He didn't know what to say to the Captain. Seven rescued him. "Captain, seventy percent of the molecules have disassociated. All the molecules will be destroyed within a few seconds."

Those seconds ticked away in silence. Chakotay initiated the power down sequence as Seven turned to instruct him to do so. She frowned and returned her attention to her own station. When it was completed, the blue glow within the chamber died away and the energy reading returned to nominal levels. Seven turned again to Chakotay and raised her eyebrow. "It's done Captain," Chakotay said.

" _Good_ ," Janeway replied, although she didn't sound too happy. " _We're beaming back up, and I expect a complete report on why you and Seven initiated the transfer early and jeopardized Voyager_."

Chakotay nodded but the channel ended abruptly before he could answer. "Understood," he said to himself. He was uncertain he could explain what they had done even to himself. He turned to Seven. She was at a loss for words as well. She and the Commander executing the procedure together flawlessly, but the suddenness of it was perplexing. Particularly because her fervent desire to see Omega had been so quickly expunged from her mind just seconds before they started. "When you finish here, meet me in the Captain's ready room," Chakotay finally said. "We're going to have to explain all this to her."

Seven nodded crisply. "We succeeded in carrying out her orders," she reminded him.

Chakotay shrugged. "But why did we do it now?"

"The universe…" Seven began, but then didn't know what she was going to say after that. It was very disconcerting. "I apologize Commander." She hesitated, not quite sure she had anything else useful to say, but then decided to say something anyway, "I just had a … feeling something terrible was about to happen."

Chakotay nodded thoughtfully. He had had the same feeling. He frowned and made his way to the cargo bay doors. Seven watched him idly for a few moments, and then returned her attention to the panel. She needed to disconnect all power from the chamber and unseal it before leaving to go to the Captain's ready room. She could disassemble the chamber later, the threat from Omega now over.

When she was finished, she glanced back up towards the spot where Commander Chakotay had been just moments before. Some other curious thoughts played around in her head…


	7. Perspectives

Chapter 7 – Perspectives

# Janeway

Janeway frowned at the coffee mug in her hand. She had replicated the cup immediately after entering her ready room, soon after returning from the planet's surface, feeling she needed it, but hadn't yet taken a sip. A bit of foam still swirled about on the surface. She returned her attention to the computer on her desk and tapped on the screen to finish scrolling through the sensor logs from the cargo bay. The results gave her pause. Her eyes wandered to the upper right corner of the screen. The display still carried the large capital omega symbol, but now that threat was apparently over. It had concluded in an unexpected way with Chakotay and Seven executing the disassociation plan ahead of schedule. It had worked, and they were out of danger, but things just didn't add up. The door chime sounded and she sat up. Finally, she might get some answers.

"Enter," she said tersely and the doors swished open.

Commander Chakotay hesitated for a brief moment on the threshold, and then stalked into the room and up to her desk. He appeared somber. Janeway gestured to one of the chairs, the expectation being this wasn't going to be a quick debriefing, and Chakotay moved over and sat down. "Seven will be along in just a moment," he said.

"Well let's first hear what happened from you," Janeway replied. "What were you thinking?" She hadn't intended to sound betrayed or angry, but that's how it came out. Chakotay had disobeyed her orders and jeopardized _Voyager_.

Chakotay grimaced. "It's hard to explain."

Janeway rubbed her hand down her face. "Try."

"The chamber had just been completed," Chakotay began. "Seven and I were discussing the possibility of stabilizing the Omega within the chamber."

"Those weren't my orders," Janeway interrupted.

Chakotay hastily nodded. "As I reminded Seven," he said. "I said I would talk to you about it, but then an Omega molecule started to form spontaneously inside the chamber."

"Out of thin air, just like that." Janeway was incredulous.

"Yes Captain." Chakotay paused as he gathered his thoughts. "Then, um… I had this feeling we were in great danger. That Omega had to be destroyed."

"That was the plan," Janeway added sarcastically. She was getting more frustrated, but had to stop interrupting. She sighed and shook her head. "Chakotay, we've been friends for a long time. This whole episode has me baffled. I don't know whether to recommend a commendation or disciplinary actions for you and Seven.

"I understand Captain," Chakotay replied. Oh how she hated it when he agreed with her out right… almost as much as she hated it when they butted heads. "It's just, the threat was more immediate. Omega had to be destroyed right then and there."

The door chime sounded again before Janeway could respond. Ah, the co-conspirator, Janeway thought cynically. "Enter." The door slid open and Seven of Nine stepped inside. She scanned the room casually and then moved over to Janeway's desk, taking the seat that was next to Chakotay. Curious. Typically Janeway would have to order Seven to sit, the ex-drone preferring to stand when she could. "Commander Chakotay was just enlightening me as to why the two of you beamed aboard the Omega molecules ahead of schedule and destroyed them in your untested chamber." Seven glanced briefly at Chakotay but then returned her gaze to Janeway. Evidently sarcasm was lost on Seven and she didn't take the comment as a question. "Why did you do it?"

"It's hard to explain," Seven replied. The same thing Chakotay had said moments earlier.

Janeway turned to her computer and scrolled up on the log. At a certain point, she pivoted the screen so both Chakotay and Seven could look. "Commander Tuvok and I had not yet positioned the pattern enhancers about the chamber on the surface, and yet you were able to transport the Omega molecules without difficulty. In fact, if I interpret these reading correctly, you achieved a sub minimal diffraction divergence on the confinement beam. To my knowledge, that has never been done before." She let the words sink in for a moment. "Care to explain that?"

Seven shifted slightly in her seat. "I have been thinking about that," she finally said. "I believe the procedure was developed by an Andorian scientist, Doctor Kehl. It is possible the knowledge was assimilated by the Borg and that is why I was able to apply it when transporting the Omega molecules."

"Why didn't you tell us of this procedure before?"

Seven hesitated. "I must have forgotten."

"That doesn't sound likely," Janeway replied. She rubbed her hand down her face again and sighed. She pivoted the computer screen back to face her and then scrolled down to another point. "According to these measurements, you adjusted our procedure and increased the disassociation rate almost three fold. Care to explain that?"

"I can't Captain," Seven replied. "Again, the adjustments just came to me, as if I had done them a hundred times before."

Janeway again frowned. A mystery. She couldn't argue with the fact that the Omega threat had been eliminated, and she knew her two officers would never put Voyager into danger without cause. Her two friends. She narrowed her eyes and looked between the two of them. Whether consciously or unconsciously, they had moved their chairs so they were sitting right next to each other. Was it her imagination, or did they look quite natural together? She had never noticed it before. She shook her head. "We have work to do on the planet's surface tomorrow, and I'll need both of you," she finally said. "We're going to have to convince Allos and his team to abandon their research on Omega."

"The threat.." both Chakotay and Seven began to speak. Seven nodded for Chakotay to finish. "The threat from Omega is over Captain."

"There are still the subspace ruptures. The inability to go to warp. What if his team attempts to assemble Omega again?"

Now Chakotay didn't seem as sure and he turned to Seven. "I believe if we scan the area we will find the subspace ruptures have dissipated," she said. "I will go to Astrometrics immediately to conduct the scans."

Yet another mystery? Chakotay and Seven were full of them today. "Please," Janeway said and then waved her hand. She had had enough mysteries for the moment. It was getting late and she could continue her investigation in the morning. "Dismissed."

Chakotay and Seven stood and left her ready room. Janeway again regarded her mug of coffee and finally picked it up and took a sip. "Ah!" she exclaimed. It had gone cold.

# Chakotay

It took slightly longer than expected for Chakotay to make his way from the cargo bay to the bridge. In two separate instances, crewman had stopped him to request adjustments to the duty roster. He was more than happy to oblige, not necessarily in a hurry to meet with the Captain. She was going to have questions, and he wasn't sure he had answers. Chakotay took a deep breath, and then touched the panel beside the Captain's ready room door.

He heard the muffled voice of Captain Janeway and then the door swished open. She sat behind her desk with a deep frown on her face and a mug of steaming coffee at arm's length which gave Chakotay pause. He knew he didn't have a rational explanation for what he and Seven had done. Might as well get this over with. He walked into the room and up to her desk. Janeway gestured to one of the chairs and Chakotay moved over and sat down. "Seven will be along in just a moment," he said. By the look of the Captain, he wished Seven were there right now. Actually, if he thought about it, he should have waited and come up with her after the omega containment chamber had been secured.

"Well let's first hear what happened from you," Janeway replied. "What were you thinking?" She sounded disappointed.

Chakotay grappled with his thoughts. The Omega molecule, his feeling of dread at the time, of Seven. "It's hard to explain," he finally said. There were too many jumbled thoughts to sort through.

Janeway rubbed her hand down her face. "Try." She was getting impatient.

"The chamber had just been completed," Chakotay began, deciding to start at a point where his memory wasn't as muddled. "Seven and I were discussing the possibility of stabilizing the Omega within the chamber."

"Those weren't my orders," Janeway interrupted.

Chakotay hastily nodded. "As I reminded Seven," he said. Seven had been adamant about stabilizing Omega, almost to the point of a religious conviction. "I said I would talk to you about it, but then an Omega molecule started to form spontaneously inside the chamber."

"Out of thin air, just like that." Janeway replied.

"Yes Captain." Chakotay paused again. What next? Thoughts of Seven danced in his head. Of flying. Of… more. But where was that coming from? Back to what happened. "Then, um… I had this feeling we were in great danger. That Omega had to be destroyed."

"That was the plan," Janeway interrupted again. She seemed more and more frustrated, and Chakotay couldn't blame her. She sighed and shook her head. "Chakotay, we've been friends for a long time. This whole episode has me baffled. I don't know whether to recommend a commendation or disciplinary actions for you and Seven.

"I understand Captain," Chakotay replied and then noticed her flinch ever so slightly. "It's just, the threat was more immediate. Omega had to be destroyed right then and there."

The door chime sounded again before the Captain could respond. Thank the Great Spirit, it was probably Seven. "Enter." The door slid open and Seven of Nine stepped inside. She scanned the room casually and then moved over to the Captain's desk and took the seat next to Chakotay. There was a familiarity of the motion that pleased Chakotay. He was happy to have her so close. "Commander Chakotay was just enlightening me as to why the two of you beamed aboard the Omega molecules ahead of schedule and destroyed them in your untested chamber." Seven glanced briefly at Chakotay but then returned her gaze to the Captain. "Why did you do it?"

"It's hard to explain," Seven replied. The same thing he had said moments earlier. Chakotay looked back and forth between Seven and the Captain, but neither had noticed his jolt of surprise.

The Captain turned to her computer and started working on something on the screen. At a certain point, she pivoted it so both Chakotay and Seven could see. "Commander Tuvok and I had not yet positioned the pattern enhancers about the chamber on the surface, and yet you were able to transport the Omega molecules without difficulty. In fact, if I interpret these reading correctly, you achieved a sub minimal diffraction divergence on the confinement beam. To my knowledge, that has never been done before." She paused for a moment, evidently to let the significance of the fact sink in. "Care to explain that?"

Chakotay shifted slightly in his seat. He had initiated the transport, but had known, somehow, Seven would be able to complete it. "I have been thinking about that," Seven finally replied. "I believe the procedure was developed by an Andorian scientist, Doctor Kehl. It is possible the knowledge was assimilated by the Borg and that is why I was able to apply it when transporting the Omega molecules."

Chakotay nodded slightly. Doctor Kehl. The name sounded familiar.

"Why didn't you tell us of this procedure before?" Captain Janeway asked.

Seven hesitated. "I must have forgotten."

"That doesn't sound likely," Captian Janeway replied. Chakotay agreed. In his experience, Seven had a remarkable memory and ability at recall, but he kept quiet. Captian Janeway rubbed her hand down her face and sighed again. She pivoted the computer screen back to face her and worked some more. "According to these measurements, you adjusted our procedure and increased the disassociation rate almost three fold. Care to explain that?"

"I can't Captain," Seven replied. "Again, the adjustments just came to me, as if I had done them a hundred times before."

Janeway again frowned. The silence stretched on for a short time. Chakotay had the urge to turn to Seven. Was it to gauge her reaction? Understand what she was thinking? Or was it just to look at her? "We have work to do on the planet's surface tomorrow, and I'll need both of you," Captain Janeway finally said, interrupting his thoughts. "We're going to have to convince Allos and his team to abandon their research on Omega."

"The threat.." both Chakotay and Seven began to speak. Chakotay turned to Seven and she nodded for Chakotay to finish. "The threat from Omega is over Captain."

"There are still the subspace ruptures. The inability to go to warp. What if his team attempts to assemble Omega again?"

That was true. It was the reason they diverted their course in the first place to investigate, but something inside him was telling him there was no longer any problem. The enemy… He turned to Seven, and she knew exactly what to say. "I believe if we scan the area we will find the subspace ruptures have dissipated," she said. "I will go to Astrometrics immediately to conduct the scans."

This did not please the Captain one bit, but she appeared accepting that the answers she sought were not coming today. "Please," she said and then waved her hand. "Dismissed."

Chakotay and Seven stood and left her ready room. They both moved to the turbo lift and entered together.

"Deck Eight," Seven stated, and then turned to Chakotay. "Commander?"

"I would like to see the results of those scans," Chakotay replied. "But I think I'm going to go to my quarters. I need... I need some rest." He was going to say he needed to sort through the thoughts going around his head, but he needed sleep as well. "Deck three."

The turbolift started moving.

"I desire to regenerate as well," Seven offered. "But need to make those scans to confirm my… hypothesis."

"I'd like to see the results of those scans as well," Chakotay replied, repeating what he had just said. The doors to the turbolift swished open on deck three. "Perhaps I can stop by Astrometrics in the morning for a report."

"I would like that," Seven replied. An interesting response, and uncharacteristic of her. More emotion in her voice than expected. "I mean, of course Commander."

Chakotay was already out in the corridor and the doors to the turbolift swished shut. Was that a slight blush on her cheeks? He turned and moved down the corridor towards his quarters. More thoughts dancing about in his head.

# Seven

Securing the chamber was complete. She contacted Ensign Kim to assemble the group who had helped her create the containment chamber to begin dismantling it during the next duty shift. She would supervise. Now it was time to meet Chakotay in the Captain's ready room. She moved with a purpose to the cargo bay doors and out into the corridor.

Her actions during the incident troubled her. She had executing several procedures she had been previously unaware of, or at least couldn't remember knowing before. Was it possible knowledge from the Borg? She would have to check the Borg data cubes later. Something rang hollow with that explanation, however, but it was the best she had.

She took the turbo lift to deck one and then stepped off and went straight to the Captain's ready room. She pressed the panel beside the door, and after hearing the Captain say "Enter", the door slid open and she stepped inside. The Captain was behind her desk and Commander Chakotay was already seated at one of the chairs in front. There were two other chairs and she moved over to the one beside the Commander and sat down. She had an odd relief of having him so close. "Commander Chakotay was just enlightening me as to why the two of you beamed aboard the Omega molecules ahead of schedule and destroyed them in your untested chamber," the Captain said. Seven glanced briefly at the Commander but then returned her gaze to the Captain. It was evident she was going to direct her next question to her. "Why did you do it?"

"It's hard to explain," Seven replied. There was no sense denying that fact. The circumstances were confounding.

The Captain turned to her computer and started working on something on the screen. At a certain point, she pivoted it so both Chakotay and Seven could see. "Commander Tuvok and I had not yet positioned the pattern enhancers about the chamber on the surface, and yet you were able to transport the Omega molecules without difficulty. In fact, if I interpret these reading correctly, you achieved a sub minimal diffraction divergence on the confinement beam. To my knowledge, that has never been done before." She paused for a moment. Seven didn't recall being aware of such a procedure, but she did have a vague idea of its source. "Care to explain that?"

Well, an attempt at an explanation was better than none. "I have been thinking about that," she replied. "I believe the procedure was developed by an Andorian scientist, Doctor Kehl. It is possible the knowledge was assimilated by the Borg and that is why I was able to apply it when transporting the Omega molecules."

"Why didn't you tell us of this procedure before?" Captain Janeway asked.

Seven hesitated. She knew her next response would be unsatisfactory, but it was all she had. "I must have forgotten."

"That doesn't sound likely," Captian Janeway replied. Captian Janeway rubbed her hand down her face and sighed again. She pivoted the computer screen back to face her and worked some more. "According to these measurements, you adjusted our procedure and increased the disassociation rate almost three fold. Care to explain that?"

"I can't Captain," Seven replied. She could see the Captain was frustrated, and she was equally frustrated. "Again, the adjustments just came to me, as if I had done them a hundred times before."

Janeway again frowned. The silence stretched on for a short time. Seven had the urge to turn to Chakotay. Was it to gauge his reaction? Understand what he was thinking? "We have work to do on the planet's surface tomorrow, and I'll need both of you," Captain Janeway finally said, interrupting her thoughts. "We're going to have to convince Allos and his team to abandon their research on Omega."

"The threat.." both Chakotay and Seven began to speak. Chakotay turned to Seven and she nodded for Chakotay to finish. "The threat from Omega is over Captain."

"There are still the subspace ruptures. The inability to go to warp. What if his team attempts to assemble Omega again?"

That was irrelevant. Omega was only a molecule, contingent on other things for its construction. As with the adjustments she made during the incident, she knew for certain there was no longer a threat. She noticed that Commander Chakotay had turned to her, evidently not sure what to say. She knew. "I believe if we scan the area we will find the subspace ruptures have dissipated," Seven said. "I will go to Astrometrics immediately to conduct the scans."

The Captain continued to have a sour expression, but apparently was through with them. "Please," she said and then waved her hand. "Dismissed."

Chakotay and Seven stood and left her ready room. They both moved to the turbo lift and entered together.

"Deck eight," Seven stated, and then turned to Commander Chakotay. "Commander?"

"I would like to see the results of those scans," Chakotay replied. "But I think I'm going to go to my quarters. I need... I need some rest." He appeared to be thinking something over and Seven wondered if he was going to say something more. Instead he just said, "Deck three."

The turbolift started moving.

Seven felt compelled to engage the Commander further in conversation. "I desire to regenerate as well," she offered tentatively. She was not adept at small talk. "But need to make those scans to confirm my… hypothesis."

"I'd like to see the results of those scans as well," Chakotay repeated. He seemed out of sorts. The doors to the turbolift swished open on deck three. "Perhaps I can stop by Astrometrics in the morning for a report."

"I would like that," Seven replied. For some unexplained reason, this pleased her immensely, but then realized she may have sounded too eager. "I mean, of course Commander," she hastily added.

Chakotay was out in the corridor with a curious grin on his face, and then the doors to the turbolift thankfully swished shut. Seven frowned. She didn't feel quite herself. More familiar with the Commander than she should be.

The turbolift reached deck eight and she stepped purposely to Astrometrics. Ensign Jenny Delaney was on duty.

"Ensign," Seven said, perhaps a bit abruptly, but she was flustered with the day's events. "Reconfigure the lateral array to scan the area where the subspace rupture field was about the planet."

"Of course," Jenny replied and immediately started typing in the requisite commands. Seven moved over to one of the consoles and examined the results. She saw the same thing that Ensign Delaney was obviously now seeing. "They're gone," Jenny said bewildered.

Seven nodded crisply. "Do a deep scan out to twenty light years," she ordered.

"Aye," Jenny responded and started typing again. "The scan will be completed in six hours."

An adequate regeneration cycle. Seven touched her comm badge. "Captain, this is Astrometrics."

" _Go ahead Seven_."

"The subspace ruptures surrounding the planet are no longer present, as I speculated. We are extending the scan out to twenty light years and will have the results in the morning."

There was a hesitation, undoubtedly the Captain digesting this new bit of information. " _Very well, Seven. I would like you and Commander Chakotay to meet me in my ready room at 0700 to discuss our way forward_."

"Understood Captain. Astrometrics out." Seven paused for a brief moment, and then touched her comm badge again. "Seven to Commander Chakotay."

" _Go ahead_."

"The Captain has requested we meet with her at 0700 in her ready room tomorrow morning. I will be in Astrometrics at 0500 to examine the results of the scan. I suggest you arrive here before our scheduled meeting with the Captain to go over the results."

" _I'll be there. Chakotay out_."

The comm channel closed and Seven nodded satisfied. She scanned Astrometrics. Everything seemed in order. "Thank you Ensign. I'm retiring for the night to regenerate. I will relieve you when your shift ends." She started to move towards the doors.

"Good night Seven," Jenny replied.

Seven hesitated. Normally she would have simply left, the conversation having concluded, but she found herself desiring to respond. "Good night Ensign."

She made her way quickly back to the refuge of Cargo Bay Two and set the regeneration cycle for six hours. Seven didn't recall ever dreaming while regenerating. She did enter a state of mind similar to REM sleep, but the dreams she may or may not have had during that time were never consciously remembered. This night, however, she did dream. And she did remember.

She dreamed they were together, walking on a desert road.


	8. Time is Irrelevant

Chapter 8 – Time is Irrelevant

The doors to Astrometrics swished open and Commander Chakotay stepped inside. He had spent a restless night in his quarters, in and out of sleep. Seven was standing in her usual spot, statuesque in her biosuit. She glanced at the chronometer and then turned to face him. It was 0501 in the morning. "Commander, I did not expect you to be here so early."

Chakotay shrugged. "You said you would be here at 0500," he replied with an easy smile, not willing to divulge his true intentions just yet.

"I've actually been here since 0430," Seven stated.

Chakotay's eyes looked up to the display on the main screen and did a double take. Instead of the results from the scan for subspace ruptures he had expected to see, there was a page of a book with a portion highlighted. An excerpt Chakotay recognized from his youth and reading with his mother. "'That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem,'" he said, reading the first line.

Seven looked at the text as well, as if examining it with a microscope. "From an ancient Earth book," she said.

Chakotay nodded. "I'm familiar with it."

Seven examined the text for a moment longer and then touched the controls on her station. The screen went blank. She then picked up a PADD and handed it to Chakotay, apparently the report regarding the scans for the subspace ruptures. Instead of looking at the PADD, however, Chakotay glanced up at the blank screen and then back to Seven. Her non-verbal skills were not as polished as others, but it was clearly evident Chakotay was wanting an explanation for her choice of reading material instead of the report and would undoubtedly wait for it. Interestingly, she was actually relieved to be able to tell someone. Or more precisely, to tell him. "I had a dream last night," she began tentatively.

"Oh?"

Seven nodded. "Unusual, in and of itself, since I don't recall ever dreaming while regenerating before."

Chakotay rested his elbow on a nearby railing. "When we were in B'omar space and near the wreckage of your parent's ship. You had dreams of a raven."

"Those were hallucinations," Seven corrected. "Instigated by the Borg device left active on the vessel." Her voice was irritated. "This is completely different."

"I apologize," Chakotay quickly said. "I was not intending to be insensitive."

"Of course not," Seven replied, brushing it aside. She knew Chakotay well enough, even from before the incident of the previous day. From what she had observed of his interactions with the crew, he seemed always attentive to each crewman's needs, including herself in a few instances. In a different way, since the incident, she also felt she knew him more intimately, on a deeper level. It was hard to pin down particular reasons connected to this knowledge.

Chakotay leaned closer. "I must admit, I had some interesting dreams last night as well."

Seven frowned. "In my dream," she continued, not quite registering his comment, "we were walking on a wide path."

"We?"

"Yes." She gestured to the now blank screen. "The account depicted in this book. You and I were the two people in the story walking between Jerusalem and Emmaus."

Chakotay crossed his arms in thought. Now that was a fascinating concept. "What were we talking about?"

"I don't quite remember the details," Seven replied, clearly frustrated. "We were married. We were older." She hesitated. How was she to articulate that, in the dream at least, she also was considering her love for him? Was it the beginnings of that she was feeling right now? How much time was required before you knew for certain? She wasn't ready to share any of those thoughts just yet. "When I woke, however," she said instead, "I did know it was somehow connected to this account. I thought I would access it in _Voyager_ 's database."

"See if it would jog your memory."

"Precisely."

Now Chakotay was very curious, the report on the scans completely out of his mind. Truth be told, he had not come early to Astrometrics to read the report anyway. He had come to talk to Seven. "Did it jog your memory?"

"No," Seven replied. She sounded disappointed. "The two travelers in the story converse with a third person, a stranger to them. In fact, the stranger is the focus of the book, Jesus of Nazareth of whom the two were disciples. Jesus had been killed two days before, and was now resurrected as he had foretold."

Chakotay nodded thoughtfully. "Yesterday, when you were talking about Omega, it was almost in reverent terms. A quest to witness perfection. You said without it, your existence would not be complete."

"I was mistaken," Seven said curtly. That was before.

"But don't you see," Chakotay continued. "In your description to me, you compared it to seeing God." He gestured to the empty screen. "In the faith of many, Jesus is part of a Triune-God. He is God. Perhaps your dream is your subconscious wrestling with these thoughts. Your own Road to Emmaus."

Seven's frown deepened. "Omega is nothing more than a construct. A single molecule contained within the universe and nothing more. It is not perfection."

It was as Chakotay had suspected. Her view of Omega had so radically changed in that moment the molecule started to spontaneously form within the containment chamber. Many things had changed, he knew that for himself. "Perhaps you're searching for something more," Chakotay suggested.

"Perhaps," Seven replied thoughtful. And then something Chakotay had said earlier finally clicked in her mind. "And what of your dreams, Commander?"

Chakotay laughed. Yes, many things had changed in that moment just before they initiated transport that much was clear. This conversation with Seven was evidence of that. And then, of course, there were his dreams. "My dreams were not as coherent as yours," he said. "A jumble of thoughts and images. Much like my thoughts late yesterday."

"You did seem out of sorts in the turbolift," Seven commented.

Chakotay turned away and scratched his neck. "There was one common element throughout, however."

"And what was that?" Seven prompted.

Chakotay hesitated, seeming almost embarrassed to say. "You were in all of them," he finally confessed.

Seven raised an eyebrow.

"It's hard to explain," Chakotay said, only afterward realizing it was the same expression both he and Seven had told Captain Janeway the previous day. It _was_ hard to explain. In fact, as he had acknowledged to himself before, it is why he had arrived in Astrometrics so early. He had needed to see her, to talk to her. To wrap his head around this new normal. "Ever since yesterday, just before we initiated the transport of the Omega molecules from the planet's surface, I've felt there was… something more. A connection between us that I can't quite articulate."

"A tangible link," Seven mused.

Chakotay nodded. That expression hit a chord. "Yes exactly."

"I believe I have felt something similar," Seven replied. It both excited her and concerned her that Commander Chakotay was in a similar situation. For her part, she felt ill prepared to process these feelings, having only been disconnected from the Collective for less than a year. They stood in silence for a short time, each with their own thoughts. For Chakotay, as they were speaking, the jumble of thoughts in his mind were finally beginning to crystalize. There was a new connection between he and Seven, but in another sense, it was as if the connection had existed for a long time. Then Seven gestured to the PADD which Chakotay still held in his hand. "Are you curious about the results of last night's scan, or did you simply come here to talk with me?"

She was perceptive. Chakotay lifted up the PADD, but he suspected he already knew. "So what were the results? What of the subspace ruptures?" Apparently he would rather hear it directly from her and not read the report.

Seven touched the controls again and their course in the Delta Quadrant was displayed. The bubbles that had indicated the position of subspace ruptures were no longer present. "There is no sign of the subspace ruptures within a twenty light year radius," she said. "I suspect all the anomalies of this type have been eliminated throughout the entire Galaxy."

"I suspect you are right."

"You know I am," she replied with a touch of uncharacteristic humor. She then looked away as if considering something. "I suppose we need to go see the Doctor."

"Why is that?"

"It is clear something happened to the two of us yesterday. In that moment of time. Afterwards, I executed procedures I had no previous knowledge of. I checked the Borg data nodes, and there is no mention of Doctor Kehl nor the method of achieving a sub minimal diffraction divergence on a replicator or transporter confinement beam. Further, we now appear to have these feelings for one another. A familiarity with no basis in past experiences. We are not ourselves."

Chakotay was smiling. "I'm not so sure."

Seven folded her arms. "We have been dreaming of each other Commander," she reminded him. "You have stated feeling a connection to me somehow and I have concurred with your assessment. Before yesterday, did any of these thoughts exist?"

She had a point. "Not as such," Chakotay finally replied.

"Further, there are other changes. My opinion of the significance of the Omega molecule has changed considerably," Seven continued. "I am certain you have noted the same thing. There has been a radical alteration of our thoughts. We can't simply ignore that."

Chakotay put down the PADD and stepped up to Seven and placed his hands on her arms. "I'm not suggesting we ignore it," he said. "Quite the contrary. I suppose we should see the Doctor. But also, I think we should… explore these… thoughts and feelings. Get to know one another better."

Seven tilted her head slightly to the side, as if to examine more closely Chakotay's hand on her shoulder, although she made no movement to extract herself from his touch. He quickly pulled his hands back, but stayed close. "What do you have in mind, Chakotay?" Seven asked. He seemed a bit surprised she had called him by his name rather than his rank. "If we proceed with this relationship as you propose, it is only appropriate for me to call you by your name."

Chakotay nodded and then smiled. The whole conversation was remarkable in its own way. "All I ask is, if you ever decide to call me by a Borg designation, it should be One of One."

The comment seemed a non sequitur, but humorous in its own way. Seven surmised he was teasing her for assigning Borg designations to the work unit she supervised when constructing the omega containment chamber. "That seems only appropriate," she replied. "So noted."

"I hear Crewman Dell's friends are starting to call him Three of Ten," Chakotay laughed, and Seven simply shook her head.

"I will show you the data Chakotay. I improved the efficiency of the team considerably by organizing them correctly."

"I have no doubt about that."

"You never answered my question," Seven said, finding herself both irritated and amused. "You say you want to explore our relationship, our thoughts and feelings. What do you have in mind?"

Chakotay shrugged. "Spend more time together."

"That would be acceptable."

"We have almost two hours before we meet with the Captain. Why don't we go someplace and talk."

"We are talking."

"Not here."

"Where do you propose?"

"Perhaps we could go to the holodeck and, I don't know, take a walk," he suggested. "Pick a planet and go for a hike and talk to one another. Like I said, get to know each other better."

"The holodeck?"

"Sure."

"I don't think that would be appropriate," Seven said. "I'm currently on duty."

"Oh, I could fix that."

Seven raised an eyebrow. "I don't think that would be appropriate either. Besides, I still think we should go to sickbay. Why don't you want to see the Doctor? Are you concerned he might find an explanation for our altered state of mind?"

Chakotay considered this, but then shook his head. "I don't think he will discover anything." It wasn't as if something new had been implanted into his mind, it was more like something already existing had been revealed.

"Nor do I," Seven concurred. How she could be certain, however, alluded her. "Nevertheless, I still believe it prudent to inform the Captain and be examined by the Doctor."

Chakotay shrugged. "If that is what you think best, then of course we will." He smiled again, "We have all the time in the world."

All the time in the world… Seven looked away, as if remembering something. "Time is irrelevant," she said softly.

"What do you mean?"

"Something I think I heard once." A snippet of her dream from the previous night came into focus. Not in those words, but it was what the stranger had been trying to tell her on the Road to Emmaus. Whether for a moment, or for a lifetime, the feelings were the same. She looked at Chakotay intently, having made a decision in light of Chakotay's apparent desires, and of her desires. "Hold perfectly still." She tilting her head slightly again, but this time a prelude into leaning in closer to Chakotay. She tentatively placed her own hands about his waist and pressed her lips lightly against his. She then retreated ever so slightly, but remained closer than when they started.

"What was that for?"

"Would you believe me if I said that since yesterday I've had this thought that I've been waiting to do that for a very long time? Years, in fact."

"You've only been on _Voyager_ for nine months."

"I know."

Chakotay looked into Seven's eyes. For some unfathomable reason, he felt a sense of deja-vu. An intimacy that shouldn't exist but did. Time was irrelevant, time is irrelevant, and time will be irrelevant. Whatever had happened in that moment had changed them, and he was more than happy to explore the ramifications of those changes with her. In fact, if he was looking for something more on his own Road to Emmaus, he would like nothing better than to search for that something, for that meaning and purpose, with her. The two of them together. "Oh I believe you," he said, and then wrapped his arms about her as well, leaning in for a deeper and more meaningful kiss than their first.

#

Captain Kathryn Janeway glanced at the chronometer on her desk and frowned. Her morning cup of coffee steamed in front of her, a small bit of foam swirled around the top. It was already 0705 and both of them were late. There was something going on, and she had a feeling she would be finding out soon enough. Never a dull moment. She touched her comm badge. "Computer, locate Commander Chakotay and Seven of Nine."

#

THE END

Author's note: And thus ends the last of the "Possibilities" stories. Sorry it took so long. Having written it over the course of 19 months with a 15 month or so gap, I'm afraid this one might not hold together as well as the others. Hope you enjoyed nonetheless.

TTFN


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